500 Feet of Fishing Gear Removed From a Juvenile Humpback Whale

Last weekend, our Marine Mammal Rescue team in British Columbia collaborated with the Cetus Research and Conservation Society to free a juvenile humpback whale that had become entangled in over 500 feet of fishing gear off the east coast of Vancouver Island.

The rescue was made possible in part thanks to numerous reports from members of the public who spotted the whale swimming near the shoreline.

When trying to identify an entangled marine mammal, watch for ropes or buoys trailing from or wrapped around the animal. If you encounter a whale in distress, it’s important to keep your distance. Do not approach or attempt to remove any gear yourself. Instead, report the sighting immediately so trained and authorized responders can safely intervene.

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Report a Marine Mammal or Sea Turtle Incident or Sighting

Canada’s Ghost Gear Program

Canada tackles the issue of lost, abandoned, and discarded fishing gear—commonly referred to as ghost gear—through its Ghost Gear Program and Action Plan, both led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) since 2019. These initiatives aim to support efforts in retrieving ghost gear, promoting its safe and responsible disposal, preventing gear loss through new technologies, and demonstrating international leadership on the issue. In 2020, the Ghost Gear Fund was introduced to provide financial backing for projects led by fish harvesters, Indigenous communities, coastal organizations, and the aquaculture sector. The program has already removed significant amounts of ghost gear from marine environments. Its current focus is on prevention and long-term solutions, with an emphasis on modernizing fisheries management to minimize future environmental harm.