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ANACORTES, Wash. - A beloved humpback whale, daughter of 'Big Mama,' is in much better shape following a long week in the Salish Sea. The maritime community in both the United States and Canada joined in a group effort with Canadian authorities to untangle her from fishing gear.
The whale watchers and Canadian marine authorities included many ups and downs as weather conditions, lost sightings, and false hope contributed to rising concerns for the whale over the week.
Cross-border whale rescue
The 10-year-old whale, known as Pop Tart for the way she would pop up and breach as a calf, was first spotted with gear wrapped around her pectoral flipper on Thursday, July 2, southwest of Victoria, British Columbia. Crew members from Orca Spirit Adventures reported the entanglement to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
An entangled Pop Tart. Megan MacGregor, Outer Island Excursions (PWWA)
As the first vessel had to leave, crews from Puget Sound Express out of Port Angeles, Washington, and Outer Island Excursions out of Anacortes, Washington, took turns keeping watch for three hours until Canadian officials arrived.
DFO responders used a drone to confirm that the whale was wrapped in a rope longer than 30 meters (about 98 feet) attached to a buoy. Rescue teams could not free her that first night and asked the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) fleet to help locate her the next day.
The Search and Rescue
Timeline:
After no sightings on Friday or Saturday, a Puget Sound Express vessel located Pop Tart on Sunday, July 4, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near the international border. Multiple whale-watching vessels from British Columbia took turns tracking her, but the whale went on a dive and disappeared into heavy fog, much to the frustration of rescue crews, according to the Paciifc Whale Watch Association.
On Monday, July 6, the search intensified with a coordinated effort across multiple regional whale watching companies. Crew members from Orca Spirit Adventures relocated Pop Tart east of Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. Though worsening weather conditions stopped the immediate rescue, DFO responders say they managed to attach a tracking buoy to the gear so they could find her again once the weather cleared.
Pop Tart after being declared free of gear. Sarah Hunter, Eagle Wing Tours (PWWA)
While there were no sightings of Pop Tart on Tuesday, by Wednesday, July 8, one of the Eagle Wing Tour vessels, based in Victoria, spotted the whale around 11 a.m. This was still in an area east of Race Rocks.
"To the crew’s delight, the fishing gear that had been wrapped around her flipper for nearly a week was no longer visible. Eagle Wing remained on scene for approximately 30 minutes until DFO arrived and was able to confirm via drone that Pop Tart was completely gear-free. The news was met with cheers from Eagle Wing’s crew and guests, and across the entire PWWA fleet," said a representative for PWWA.
What we know:
DFO officials deployed a drone to confirm that Pop Tart was completely free of all ropes and buoys.
Boat education groups, including Straitwatch from British Columbia and Soundwatch from Washington, also assisted in the multi-day search.
What we don't know:
It is not known exactly how Pop Tart became entangled in the fishing gear or where the commercial gear originated.
What they're saying:
"Entanglement in fishing gear is one of the greatest threats to humpback whales not just in the Salish Sea, but globally," said Erin Gless, PWWA executive director. "Pop Tart’s positive outcome was the result of collaboration between PWWA whale watchers and DFO’s trained marine mammal responders."
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The Source: This article is based on an official press release and operational updates issued by the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).