North American Whale Disentanglement Coordination and the NOAA
Disentangling whales from commercial fishing gear and just about anything else we put into oceans is an increasingly growing concern. More whales, more whale watchers, and more ways for commercial fishers and others to report entanglements, means more work for the 75 NOAA certified disentanglers located along North America’s east and west coasts. They work on whales of all sizes including humpback, North Atlantic right, sperm, minke, fin, sei, and blue whales. It’s the North Atlantic Right Whale that poses the greatest challenge due to their size and strength – 83% of their estimated 500 population already having experienced entanglements – many on multiple occasions.