Entanglement in fishing gear is one of the leading causes of injury and death for large whale species, causing prolonged suffering before death or permanent injury in survivors.
Entanglement causes some of the most prolonged and visible suffering in large wildlife. A right whale entangled in lobster trap lines may drag hundreds of meters of rope, the lines cutting progressively deeper into flesh over weeks. Death from infection, starvation, or drowning is slow. Survivors carry permanent injuries including amputated flippers. The solution exists: ropeless fishing gear using acoustic triggers is commercially available. The barrier is economic — the transition cost — and regulatory inertia. Targeted requirements for rope-free gear in critical right whale habitat represent one of the most direct welfare interventions available.