Two years into the Partnership and we continue to make great strides along the US West Coast
Reports and Responses
2025 was another year of high entanglement reports along the US West Coast. Thirty-three entanglements were reported along the US West Coast, but the totals are still being adjusted as our international partners review their recent cases, with some involving US gear.
CRC responded to entangled whales in California, Oregon, and Washington.
CRC staff spend over 15 days at sea responding to entangled whales.Â
2026 is also starting off with at least 6 entanglements already reported in California.
Advanced network capacity
NOAA promoted a PNW responders to Level 3 (authorized to attach telemetry), strengthening the network’s ability to respond to entanglements in Washington State.
The responder is a staff member at The Whale Museum on San Juan Island and participated in 6 on water responses in 2025. She participated in the L3 training last spring with CRC and another refresher last fall, gaining invaluable experience working along side Cascadia’s responders to free two entangled whales.Â
Click below to learn more about the West Coast Large Whale Entanglement Response Network and the Levels for Authorized Responder
Improved responders’ skillsets
Conducted a Level 4 training in Santa Barbara, California, along side the local L4 responder. This was a great training to exchange ideas and techniques used from different response platforms. The Santa Barbara team has a great working relationship with Tow Boat US, whose staff are trained responders and volunteer the use of their vessels for fast responses.
Conducted a virtual Level 2 training focused on the PNW to increase capacity and start building a solid base for future responders
Assisted The Whale Museum and SeaDoc Society with their San Juan County fall training. Unknowingly, this training prepared the team for a response just a week later in which they attached a telemetry buoy to an entangled humpback whale in November 2025.
Conducted outreach events
Cascadia conducted outreach events to engage communities and raise awareness about large whale entanglements. Many of these presentations focused on the PNW, involving management and industry partners.
You can view Seattle Aquarium’s Lightning Talk Series that includes 5 min presentations on Cascadia’s entanglement response and gray whale research
Reach out to us if you are interested in our team giving your organization/club/class a presentation about large whale entanglements.
These achievements have been made possible through support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (for California-based activities), NOAA Prescott Grant (for Washington and Oregon-based activities), and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (for vessel support during California responses). We are grateful to these organizations for making this vital work possible.
We are grateful for a grant from Oregon Wildlife Foundation that enabled us to purchase tools and safety equipment for a new Oregon response team. We also greatly appreciate tools and equipment donations from Spyderco that make responses possible. And we extend a immense gratitude to a private donor who is building and donating antennas to the network, which improve our ability to quickly relocate telemetry buoys in situations when teams have attached one to an entangled whale when conditions were not safe to proceed with the response that day. We have recently become an environmental partner for 1% for the Planet, and are looking forward to gaining support from their network partners.Â
Future work and collaborations
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- Later this year, we will conduct trainings in Washington State with WDFW and other network partners to continue to increase capacity in the PNW.
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- We are completing scientific papers addressing: where whales become entangled versus where they’re first reported entangled, coastwide entanglement scar rates, and migration timing of humpback whales.
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- Cascadia will continue to respond to entanglements in the PNW and California, and assist other teams when needed. Â
While we have secured funding for entanglement responses in 2026, our survey efforts are not funded. This does not only mean there will be a gap in the > 40 year dataset that allows us to understand and monitor these populations, it also prevents us from being proactive, locating entangled whales that otherwise would not be reported and following up on whales we have disentangled. We are searching for new funding options and looking to people like you to help fund our work, ensuring continued progress to reduce entanglement risk for whales!
Want to help whales along the West Coast?
Here’s how:
1. Report Entangled Whales: 1-877-767-9425
If you see a whale in distress, report it immediately. Every unreported case represents not only a serious welfare concern, but a missed opportunity to gather critical data that can drive future prevention efforts. Call 1-877-767-9425 (1 877 SOS WHAL) or hail US Coast Guard on Ch16 to report an entangled whale.
Timely reports can save lives and support long-term solutions – learn more about standing by and reporting entangled whales.
2. Support Cascadia
With future federal funding uncertain, we are counting on you to be guardians for these ocean giants. Your donation helps ensure our trained responders can remain ready to act, that our research continues, and that progress toward an entanglement-free future doesn’t stall.
Help us keep whales safe in the Pacific Northwest and beyond – donate here or contact us to learn about more ways you can support our work.
3. Educate and Stay Informed
Share what you’ve learned! Encourage others to report entanglements, support response efforts, and get involved. Stay up to date on our research and response efforts by joining our mailing list and following us on social media!
Together we can create a safer ocean for whales – starting with the ones who need us most