Humpback whale 'hog-tied' in fishing gear rescued off B.C. coast

A young humpback whale was rescued off the coast of Vancouver Island on Monday when it was found tangled up in fishing gear, according to officials. 

Paul Cottrell, Marine Mammals Coordinator with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), said the whale was found near Port Hardy, B.C., "hog-tied" by about 120 metres of rope, which is believed to be part of some recreational prawn fishing equipment. 

"It definitely was a lethal entanglement long-term," Cottrell told All Points West host Jason D'Souza. "The animal was struggling even to swim.

"It was a real mess."

Cottrell said DFO got a call on Sunday morning alerting them to a whale in distress near the Broughton Archipelago. Within two hours crews were out on the water working to put a satellite tag on the humpback. 

By Monday morning, the animal had slowly made its way closer to Port Hardy. Cottrell said the rescue team went out shortly after. 

When they found the humpback, it was exhausted, and its tail was damaged according to Cottrell. It took rescuers three hours to cut the fishing gear off.

"The animal did get agitated and was fairly reactive a number of times," Cottrell said.

But when it did come off, he said, the animal appeared relieved. 

"It was quite active and moving along much quicker."

Cottrell expects the animal's tail will heal and that it will survive, and because it now has a tracking tag, officials will be able to monitor the whale. 

This is the first whale disentanglement rescue of the year for Cottrell, who told CHEK News he has been involved in more than 50 rescues throughout his career. 

In 2022, 396 humpback whales were spotted in the Salish Sea, up from 293 in 2017, according to the Canadian Pacific Humpback Collaboration. 

Humpbacks were considered a 'threatened' species in B.C. until 2014 when efforts to restore their numbers resulted in success.

The North Pacific population is still considered 'of special concern' under the federal Species At Risk Act, as their numbers are recovering but not yet stable.

If you see an entangled whale, call the B.C. Marine Mammal hotline at 1-800-465-4336, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.