2007 in Review

Summary:
Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network members in all regions participated in disentanglement activities during the year. Entangled humpback and right whales were sighted and disentangled, either completely or partially, in Southeast U. S., Northeast U. S. and Canadian waters. Of the 92 reports in U.S. and Canadian waters received by PCCS in 2007, 30 cases of entangled whales along the Atlantic coast were confirmed. Twenty-six of these cases were newly discovered during the year and 4 were ongoing right whale entanglement cases from previous years. Twenty-four of the 30 cases were live entangled whales: 11 humpback, 6 right, 4 finback, and 3 minke whales.

Disentanglement teams removed all life-threatening gear from 4 humpback whales: 2 in U.S. waters and 2 in Canadian waters. Some of the gear entangling one right whale was removed and the animal was subsequently sighted and confirmed to gear-free. Disentanglement operations were conducted on two other whales, 1 right and 1 humpback. We are awaiting resightings of these animals to determine their status. Additionally, Network members confirmed and documented that two right whales had shed their entanglements.

Of all the disentanglement successes this year, perhaps these two cases capture the cooperative spirit of the Network best. The first was in January and involved a right whale off the Georgia coast. It involved many state and federal Network partners and is highlighted below under "New Tools" because of the first Network use of the new telemetry system. The second was the international efforts to disentangle a humpback whale off Grand Manan Island in subfreeqing temperatures in December.

The investment in training Network members paid large dividends this year when a team from the Virgina Aquarium and Marine Science Museum disentangled a humpback whale they found anchored to the bottom by its entanglement in fishing gear. Disentanglement activities conducted under NOAA Fisheries permit 932-1489

New Tools Used and Developed:
The new GPS/Argos/VHF telemetry system was used to track an entangled right whale northward from Georgia to North Carolina over 9 days. Of the 127 location fixes used for tracking, 96% were GPS fixes accurate to within about a body length of the whale. Generally GPS fixes at one hour intervals could be plotted. The new system made disentanglement operations more efficient by allowing more accurate predictions of the animal's movements to be made so a disentanglement teacm could intercept this whale.

A lightweight aluminum pole that extends to 30 feet was modified to accept the knives and sockets that are now standard items in Network disentanglement kits. This pole was used to cut the humpback whale named "Banjo" free of its entanglement in April.

In the ongoing effort to increase disentanglement success with right whales, a dart gun for whales was developed for sedation purposes. In May the system was successfully used by NOAA personnel to administer antibiotics to the injured mother and calf humpback whales that were the center of much media attention when they swam up the Sacramento River in California.

Our continuing mission
We don’t just rescue whales. Along with providing emergency response to individual whales with life threatening entanglements, the Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network continues to play a vital role in efforts to monitor and document large whale bycatch, leading to preventative solutions. Our work has never been more important. Our efforts continue to strengthen our mission to conserve populations of cetaceans off the Eastern Seaboard.

We gratefully thank all network members for their outstanding work in 2007, and NOAA Fisheries for their continued support.

To read more about disentanglement efforts in 2007, choose links from the "Previous Disentanglement" page.