NOAA Fisheries has released a National Report on Large Whale Entanglements Confirmed in the United States in 2017.
NOAA Fisheries has released a National Report on Large Whale Entanglements Confirmed in the United States in 2017.
While many large whale populations are increasing in the U.S., entanglements in fishing gear or marine debris represent a growing threat to the further recovery of these species. Severe entanglements can kill or seriously injure large whales, and entanglements involving threatened or endangered species can have significant negative impacts to the population as a whole.
NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program and our partners in the Large Whale Entanglement Response Network track and document as many of these incidents as possible. Entanglements represent an anthropogenic (caused by humans) threat to large whale populations. Entanglement data are used by scientists and managers to determine the effect of entanglement (e.g. rates and severity) on individuals and populations. Managers take the information gained to evaluate existing management measures and implement new management measures as warranted, to reduce the threat of entanglement to large whales.
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Image via NOAA.
