— CLICK HERE TO REPORT AN ENTANGLED WHALE —
ENTANGLEMENT is a leading cause of serious injury and death for many species of large whales globally, nationally, and locally in the Pacific Northwest. Despite many efforts to reduce risk over the past decade, entanglements are still occurring along the West Coast at rate that is hindering the recovery of some populations and is a serious welfare issue for all entangled whales.
OUR MISSION: ensure populations of large whales along the U.S. West Coast can thrive by disentangling entangled whales, studying entanglement drivers and impacts through data collected during responses, and combining these data with Cascadia’s long-term datasets to understand risks to these populations and support evidence-based management efforts to prevent future entanglements.
OUR GOALS: elevate and advance a coordinated coast-wide effort to save individuals whales and obtain the highest quality data through research and enhanced entanglement responses. These actions will lead to evidence-based management and protecting wildlife populations through the prevention of whale entanglement. We will combat entanglement risks and improve population recovery by working closely with national and state agencies, authorized response teams, fishery organizations, and research institutes.
OUR HISTORY: Cascadia has been responding to entanglements since 1998 as members of the West Coast Large Whale Entanglement Response Network (WCLWERN) lead by NOAA West Coast Protected Resources Division. WCLWERN is an expansive network spanning the entire West Coast with many partnering organizations:
During responses in the PNW and California CRC has worked closely with many trained responders from WCLWEN member organizations including NOAA, WDFW, the Makah Tribe, SR3, SJCMMSN, SeaDoc Society, ODFW, Oregon State University, CDFW, Humboldt State, The Marine Mammal Center, The Whale Entanglement Team, Marine Life Studies, Stanford University, Moss Landing Laboratories, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and the Santa Barbara response team.
However, the West Coast is a challenging coastline with entanglement reports spanning from boarder to boarder. To expand response efforts and decrease the gap between response and research, Cascadia Research launched a new initiative in 2024 – The Partnership for West Coast Whale Entanglement Action.
The objective of this initiative is to elevate and advance a coordinated coast-wide effort to obtain the highest quality data through research and enhanced entanglement responses, with results supporting evidence-based management and protecting wildlife populations through the prevention of whale entanglement. This new initiative aims to combat entanglement risks, improve population recovery, and ensure future funding by working closely with national and state agencies, response organizations, fishery organizations, and research institutes.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Report entangled whales! Each unseen case represents a welfare issue and potential loss of an individual to a population. It, perhaps more importantly, represents a lost opportunity for authorized responders to collect data required to ensure future prevention and mitigation efforts are precise, effective, and catered to the specific habitat, fishery, and population.
All images taken under NOAA Permits 18786 / 24359