Gray Whale Severely Entangled In Gillnet Fishing Gear Off California Oceana Urges State

The company also reported a NOAA Large Whale Entanglement Response Team attempted to disentangle the gray whale, but it was distressed and reacted in a way that was not safe for the team. However, they were able to attach a satellite tag to track the whale’s location. The last known ping from the tag was on Monday, March 25 about 50 miles west of San Clemente Island. While the fishery of origin is not confirmed, the monofilament net is consistent with the type of gear used in the set gillnet fishery that catches California halibut and white seabass in Southern California waters and illustrates the types of injuries that occur to whales and other ocean animals from entanglement in the gear.

Set gillnets are one of the most indiscriminate ways to fish as the nets can be 20 football fields long (up to 6,000 feet) and are weighted to the seafloor. A suite of ocean animals become entangled in the net’s mesh including whales, sea lions, seabirds, sharks, and other fish. California voters passed Proposition 132 in 1990 prohibiting the use of these unselective nets within state waters off the Southern California mainland (0-3 nautical miles) and within one mile of offshore islands. 

Additionally, the California Fish and Game Commission banned the use of these nets off the Central California Coast in 2002. However, due to the complexities of these various actions, most Californians are unaware that these nets are still being used in waters beyond three miles from the Southern California coast, offshore banks, and in state waters around California’s Channel Islands, with continued high rates of bycatch. California gray whales recently suffered an unusual mortality event and are currently designated as California’s state marine mammal. 

The fishery involved in the entanglement of this gray whale may never be confirmed because there are insufficient requirements to clearly mark this type of gear—a problem Oceana is urging California fishery managers to address. At their April 17 meeting, the California Fish and Game Commission will consider new regulations that would require unique gear marking of set gillnets so they can be distinguished from other fisheries in the event of future entanglements, in addition to limiting soak times (the time the nets sit underwater) and net height. Additionally, new state legislation—Assembly Bill 2220, authored by Assemblymember Steve Bennett (D-Ventura) and co-sponsored by Oceana and Resource Renewal Institute—will further reduce entanglement of marine mammals, sharks, and other fish in the state’s set gillnet fishery by addressing remaining management concerns that require legislative changes.