NIMMSA Conservation Fund Project
Year awarded
Humpback Whale Fishing Gear Entanglement Data Collection and Analysis
Awarded Organization:
Collected and analyzed entanglement data.
Marine Education and Research Society (MERS) advanced coast-wide research to better understand how often BC Humpback Whales survive entanglement in fishing gear. By analyzing thousands of tailstock photographs collected between 2011 and 2019, including coast-wide data from 2017, the project confirmed that entanglement remains a significant and ongoing threat. The findings will help inform upcoming conservation and management decisions for Humpbacks in BC, including Species at Risk Act planning and future status assessments.