Rare whale died of chronic entanglement in Maine fishing gear
PORTLAND, Maine — A rare whale found dead off the coast of Massachusetts earlier this year died as a result of entanglement in lobster fishing gear from Maine, federal authorities said.
The North Atlantic right whale was found dead off Martha’s Vineyard in January. The whale population is declining and is the focus of efforts to more strictly regulate shipping and commercial fishing off the East Coast.
A necropsy determined the whale died from “chronic entanglement” in equipment previously determined to be consistent with the type of rope used in Maine’s lobster fishery, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday. NOAA said a law enforcement investigation into the whale’s death remains ongoing.
The number of whales is less than 360 and they have experienced high mortality in recent years. The death of the whale has given new life lengthy debate between environmentalists and commercial fishermen about the need to regulate lobster fishing more strictly.
The whales, which can weigh 68,000 pounds, are vulnerable to fatal entanglement in the ropes commonly used in lobster fishing that connect lobster traps to surface buoys.
“Dying this way is a horrible fate that no creature deserves, but it will happen again and again until we get these deadly fishing ropes out of the water,” said Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director for the Center for Biological Diversity.
Industry members said Thursday they have taken steps to avoid the whales and have largely succeeded. The vast majority of America’s lobster catch comes to Maine’s ports, where the seafood is a cultural icon and an important part of the economy.
“The fact is, we know that entanglement in Maine gear is extremely rare. This is the first reported whale entanglement in Maine lobster gear in two decades and the first death attributed to the fishery,” the Maine Lobstermen’s Association said in a statement. 25 years to avoid entanglement.”
The whale population declined by about 25% between 2010 and 2020. Once abundant off the East Coast, they were decimated during the era of commercial fishing and slowly recovered.
Whale migrations have become dangerous in recent years because their food sources appear to move as the water warms, scientists say. Scientists and environmentalists have said the whales are straying from protected areas in the ocean become vulnerable to complications and collisions.