Whale Sighted Off North Carolina's Coast Suffers from Fishing Gear Entanglement, Serious Injury; Experts Raise Concerns

The recent report said a whale's image off North Carolina's Outer Banks was found with signs of serious injury due to fishing gear entanglement. Experts raised concerns over the dire state of the whale, which injuries could lead to sudden death.

According to recent reports published in The News & Observer and Phys.org, a seriously injured whale was spotted over North Carolina's Outer Banks, adding that the animal had fishing gear entanglement.

Whale dire state and fish entanglement

The dire state of the whale was located off the Rodanthe. Based on the photo, NOAA noted that the whale suffered from wounds and parasites.

The report said that the whale was sighted on January 9.

Furthermore, in the whale tracking of the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog, the whale was found to be right whale #4904, a four-year-old female.

The whale experience from fishing gear entanglement could be problematic and agonizing as whales suffer from pain for days, weeks and up to years.

The report added that marine mammals could die from infection and risks of death.

The response did not pursue at first sight because the entangled whale was too far, and difficult for the response team.

In Cambodia, Reuters reported that the death of three healthy dolphins was alarming, and fishing gear entanglement is the culprit.

As a result, authorities implemented conservation zones to disallow nearby fishing in the area, as dolphins suffer from gear entanglement.

Fishing gear entanglement is one of the main challenges that whales and other aquatic animals face.

Meanwhile, the report said that Oceana emphasized that fishing gear entanglement is considered a main threat to whales and endangered species, urging the National Marine Fisheries and NOAA to protect the whales from the tragic state.

According to the report, NOAA Fisheries would monitor the whale and collaborate with experts to sight again the injured whale, which records as a new entanglement case.

Last year, Nature World News reported that a major Mediterranean shipping company rerouted their ship vessel to protect large blue whales over the coast of Sri Lanka.

The report published in the Insider said that adjusting the shipping line routes could reduce the risks that whales and vessels collide.

Other threats that whales encounter

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), whales suffer from habitat loss, climate change and fisheries bycatch.

Records showed that great whales are also classified as endangered due to the threats they have been facing.

The WWF added that whales face the challenges of collisions with ships and pollution.

The report explained that fishing and ferry lines overlapped with allowable given areas, impacting whales and their young. Meanwhile, shipping activities produce noise that affects whales' communication.

Those who would sight an entangled whale should report it to NOAA. It is important to immediately notify and allow the experts to free the marine mammals from entanglement.

Whales have been the subject of threats globally. As a result, organizations have been monitoring whales as whales play a significant role in the marine environment.

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