sound environment.
The Right Whale to Save
By Monica Pepe Policy Manager, Conservation and Education, Whale and Dolphin Conservation When he was just one year old, a North Atlantic right whale named Kingfisher became entangled in fishing gear. In a span of six weeks, he went from swimming freely off the coast of Georgia up to Maine, then back down to Georgia all while towing several feet of rope and attached buoys that had wrapped around his right flipper and over his body. A disentanglement effort was attempted with the assistance of the United States Coast Guard cutter Kingfisher (the whale’s namesake) where many of the lines around the body were removed, but in the end was unsuccessful in retrieving the rope wrapped tightly around his flipper. Today, 13 years later, Kingfisher still lives with his right flipper entangled, where the rope continues to tighten, cutting into flesh and bone, causing chronic injury and pain. Kingfisher’s story demonstrates that entanglement in fishing gear presents not only a threat to the survival of the species, but also to the welfare of the individuals that remain. On average, a lethally entangled whale will suffer for at least six months before succumbing to the resulting infection. At least 83% of right whales have been entangled at some point during their life, with many
A North Atlantic right whale breaches. © nmfs.noaa.gov
individuals suffering from multiple entanglements. While we can acknowledge that disentanglement teams have saved the lives of many whales and significantly contributed to their welfare, disentanglement itself is a Band-Aid put onto a problem that needs to be prevented from happening. We shave much to learn about how whales become entangled in fishing gear. It appears that whales do not pull away, but instead roll into the gear they encounter. Scientists often find gear wrapped around their backs, flukes, flippers, or caught through their mouths. What is clear, however, is that their entire range along the U.S. East Coast and Canada is shared with productive fishing areas where fixed gear is set to catch lobsters, crabs, and other commercially valuable fish. It is estimated that over 160,000
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City of Milford Harbor Management Commission Milford Lisman Landing 203-874-1610 40 March 2018 WindCheck Magazine
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