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Race to free entangled Humpback Whales
#1
Three Humpbacked Whales are entangled in fishing gear off of the BC coast. They are hard to track because whales can travel for miles. 
The first whale, Checkmate has some of the gear removed, but its mouth is still effected by the remaining gear. The second whale, X-ray was trailing a lot of gear. Much was removed and a tracker placed on the whale so they can monitor him.  The third whale is in some distress and they have yet to help him. There is netting around the head. 



https://globalnews.ca/news/7242935/entan...ck-whales/

It is not easy to help an entangled whale. The gear they are tangled in is our fault. It is equipment that is either lost or discarded by humans. Whales can carry the gear around for a long time suffering discomfort and even a slow death. Whenever possible we need to help free these whales. It is not easy and the rescue people who help these whales are brave and carrying people. I hope they have success with these three whales.

Better would be for us to clean up the oceans so that whales no longer get tangled in our garbage.
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Catherine

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#2
(08-01-2020, 04:23 PM)Catherine Wrote: The gear they are tangled in is our fault. It is equipment that is either lost or discarded by humans....the rescue people who help these whales are brave and caring people. I hope they have success with these three whales.
The fishermen throw the gear overboard once the fabric has holes or is torn. They are the ones who should be tracked and forced to clear up. But of course, this a pipe dream, as every trawler will claim, "We didn't do this, it was another trawler". They do not worry about whales, as all they want to is to catch the most fish in the shortest time and get rid of bulky old tackle (which can be costly to dispose of properly).

Money before caring - the usual story, sadly. Thank goodness there are some caring people who are willing to do their best to rectify the harm done.
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#3
Quote:Money before caring - the usual story, sadly. Thank goodness there are some caring people who are willing to do their best to rectify the harm done.
There are some amazing people out there who risk themselves to try and free entangled whales.
I think they are able to use drones now to get close and assess the whales. It is a safer way of looking at what needs doing before actually approaching a whale.

I wish there was a way to track down the fishing gear before it entangles animals. 
You are right that they just discard damaged gear. It is cheaper than repairing or disposing of it. They are careful to have no markers on any of the gear so it can't be traced back to the owner. Maybe fishing crews should have to mark their gear so it can be traced if it is discarded. I am sure there are people out there who would love to collect the discarded gear and return it to its rightful owner. There needs to be some way to make people take responsibility for their fishing gear.

Of course we can't get people to take responsibility for their ordinary garbage. People litter all the time. Now that we are all wearing masks, people are discarding those on the streets all over the city. It is a terrible mess. People are not well behaved on land or sea.
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Catherine

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