Humpback whales increasingly become entangled in fishing gear off the US East Coast as their populations recover, causing severe wounds, exhausted energy reserves, and drowning in the most severe cases.
Humpback whales entangled in fishing rope experience a prolonged welfare crisis that can last for months. The drag of trailing gear and the wounds caused by constricting rope at the entanglement point cause chronic pain and progressive body condition loss. Whales that cannot be disentangled may take months to die from exhaustion or strangulation. The recovery of humpback populations — a genuine conservation success — has created a welfare challenge that requires proactive gear management to resolve.