Entanglement in fishing gear is a major cause of whale mortality and suffering; disentanglement teams save lives but face significant challenges.
Entangled whales experience prolonged suffering from constriction injuries, exhaustion, infection, and slow drowning. While disentanglement teams perform heroic work, the solution lies in preventing entanglement through gear modification and ropeless fishing technology. The welfare case for urgent gear reform is overwhelming given the scale and severity of suffering.