Whales, dolphins, porpoises, and seals are killed or injured in fishing gear at alarming rates globally, often suffering prolonged deaths from entanglement and drowning.
Cetaceans and other marine mammals entangled in fishing gear experience acute struggling, potential tissue damage from gear cutting into flesh, and eventual exhaustion and drowning. Some large whales survive entanglement for extended periods carrying heavy gear, experiencing chronic pain and reduced feeding capacity before death. Gear modification technologies exist but remain unevenly deployed.