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"Entanglement"

Entanglement Results

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NOAA Announces Confirmed U.S. Large Whale Entanglement Numbers for 2025

There were 76 confirmed large whale entanglement cases in 2025—similar to the historical average and a decrease from 2024.
September 30, 2026 - Feature Story ,
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
A close up photograph of a humpback tail fluke prior to a deep dive. There is monofilament netting seen coming off the tail and entering the water. A humpback whale is documented with monofilament gillnet and floats in the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Washington State and British Columbia, Canada. Credit: Val Shore/Eagle Wing Tours.

Knocking for Help: A Pelican’s Unlikely Rescue

It is not every day a patient knocks directly on the doctor's door, but for one clever seabird, desperate times called for an unusually precise house call.
September 15, 2026 - Feature Story ,
Southeast
A brown pelican sits at the top of the stairs at the entrance to a brick building, with a sign in the foreground identifying it as the NOAA Panama City Laboratory A brown pelican waits at the main door of NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center Panama City Laboratory. Credit: Ty Jones, facility manager

Fishing Vessel Joins Trained Team to Free Injured Humpback Whale 20 Miles off Oregon Coast

Recovered fishing gear will inform action to reduce whale entanglements.
August 04, 2026 - Feature Story ,
West Coast
Aerial view of a humpback whale swimming near the surface in dark blue ocean water. A researcher in a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter first spotted the entangled humpback anchored to the bottom about 20 miles off the Oregon Coast. The whale’s white pectoral flipper extends underwater to the lower left, while white baleen outlines its open lower jaw at bottom right. The entanglement left the whale’s mouth stretched permanently open, making it unable to feed. Photo collected in partnership with Oregon Coast Aquarium, Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute and Cascadia Research Collective.

Photos from Whale Watch Vessels Help Responders Free Entangled Humpback Whale in Monterey Bay

Marine Life Studies team uses insight to locate and cut the whale free.
July 22, 2026 - Feature Story ,
West Coast
An aerial view of a humpback whale swimming just below the surface of dark blue water, trailing a line from its tail. Directly behind the whale, a small blue inflatable boat carrying two people in red safety suits is tethered to the line, which also has several large white buoys attached to it. The Marine Life Studies Whale Entanglement Team trails an entangled humpback whale in Monterey Bay, using a pole with a knife on the end to cut lines entangling the whale. They used the white plastic balls to help slow the whale to approach it. The ropes later came off the whale and were traced to a Dungeness crab trap. Photo credit: The Marine Mammal Center.

NOAA Fisheries Trains for Whale Entanglement Response with New York and New Jersey Partners

Regional collaborators gathered at the James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, for a large whale entanglement response workshop. Entanglement in fishing gear and marine debris is a significant threat to recovering whale populations.
June 29, 2026 - Feature Story ,
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Three people in a zodiac throwing a grapple. NOAA Fisheries staff practice throwing a specialized grapple into a mock entanglement, trailing behind the New Jersey Department Of Environmental Protection vessel. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

Humpback Whale Successfully Freed from Entanglement in Endicott Arm

A response team successfully removed crab pot lines entangling a humpback whale 50 miles south of Juneau, Alaska.
June 24, 2026 - Feature Story ,
Alaska
Three people on a boat use a long, specialized knife to cut entanglement lines off of a humpback whale in the water. The NOAA Fisheries response team uses poles with specialized knives to cut entangling lines. Credit: Alaska Department of Fish and Game/Jamie Musbach (NOAA Fisheries Permit # 24359)

Cold Water Signals Along West Coast Could Help Assess Whale Entanglement Risk

Early warning for fisheries could help avoid riskiest times and places.
March 11, 2026 - Feature Story ,
West Coast
A team of three people in a small inflatable boat approach a partially surfaced humpback, one person reaching toward the whale with a long pole. A trained team uses works to free a humpback whale off the coast of Northern California. Photo credit: West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network. MMHSRP Permit 18786.

NOAA Announces Confirmed U.S. Large Whale Entanglement Numbers for 2024

There were 95 large whale entanglement cases documented in 2024—an increase from 2023 and higher than the historical average.
September 18, 2025 - Feature Story ,
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
A trained and authorized responder stands on the bow of a boat and uses a specialized knife on a very long pole to attempt to remove an entanglement wrapped around a humpback whale’s body Credit: NOAA/Maria Harvey

NOAA Announces Confirmed Large Whale Entanglement Numbers for 2023

There were 64 large whale entanglement cases documented in 2023—a decrease from 2022 and below the historical average.
July 22, 2025 - Feature Story ,
Alaska
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Pacific Islands
Southeast
West Coast
National
Trained and authorized responders use a grapple to grab the entanglement trailing behind a North Atlantic right whale (#4545). Credit: Center for Coastal Studies, taken under NOAA Permit # 24359 Trained and authorized responders use a grapple to grab the entanglement trailing behind a North Atlantic right whale (#4545). Credit: Center for Coastal Studies, taken under NOAA Permit # 24359

Trained Team Releases Gray Whale Entangled in Gillnet off California’s Palos Verdes Peninsula

Team worked for about 2 hours to remove gear entangling whale.
April 16, 2025 - Feature Story ,
West Coast
Responders aboard an inflatable boat trailing and entangled whale Responders approach the entangled whale off the Palos Verdes Peninsula, using a long pole with specialized blade to reach and sever the net and lines entangling the whale. Photo by Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles, under NOAA Fisheries Permit #24359.