Humpback whale populations have recovered substantially following commercial whaling bans, but entanglement in fishing gear remains a significant cause of welfare suffering and mortality.
Entanglement in fishing gear causes prolonged, severe welfare suffering. Lines and nets cutting into whale bodies cause constriction wounds that deepen over months as the whale grows or moves against the gear. The additional drag impairs swimming and diving, progressively reducing the whale's ability to feed until starvation and exhaustion cause death. The disentanglement process itself — requiring trained teams to approach and cut gear from a live whale — is stressful for the animal but can save its life. Preventing entanglement through fishing gear modification (rope-free fishing systems, weak links, ropeless fishing gear) is the most welfare-positive intervention, eliminating the hazard before individual whales encounter it.