Entanglement in fishing gear is one of the leading causes of whale mortality and welfare harm globally, causing prolonged suffering and death in some of the most intelligent marine mammals.
Whale entanglement causes some of the most prolonged and visible animal suffering in the ocean. Entangled whales drag gear through the water for days, weeks, or months, unable to feed, swim normally, or surface without enormous effort. Rope cuts through skin and blubber, causing serious wounds that become infected. Death from exhaustion, starvation, or drowning follows. The suffering is not abstract — documented cases of individual whales enduring months of entanglement before death represent acute, long-duration welfare emergencies. Fishing gear modification is the primary intervention available at scale.