Concerns have been raised by wildlife officials after a humpback whale, visibly stressed, was spotted caught in a heavy commercial fishing net off Southern California’s coast.
On Thursday, passengers aboard a Harbor Breeze whale watching tour noticed the whale near the Palos Verdes area.
“Today on our 12:00pm Whale Watch, we witnessed a struggling Humpback Whale that was entangled in fishing nets off Point Fermin,” Harbor Breeze shared in a video.
They further explained, “Due to this entanglement, the whale cannot move freely, feed, or may even struggle to reach the surface for air. While all types of litter in the ocean are hazardous, commercial fishing gear is one of the leading causes of marine life deaths.”
Harbor Breeze operates whale-watching tours and other ocean events in places like Long Beach, San Pedro, and Santa Monica.
In the video, the net could be seen wrapped around the whale’s midsection, hindering its pectoral fin movement.
Wildlife experts attempted to free the whale but faced challenges due to tough water conditions.
Sarah Mesnick, a biologist at NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center, stated, “The team made several attempts to reach the trailing gear, but the whale’s behavior combined with water and weather conditions hindered their efforts. They also tried to attach a satellite tracking tag, but conditions thwarted those attempts as well.”
Interestingly, the same whale had been spotted earlier, swimming without a net off the coast of Humboldt County on August 22 and near San Luis Obispo on September 20.
This incident comes alongside a NOAA report indicating that in 2025, there were 76 confirmed cases of large whale entanglements along U.S. coasts, with 65 of those being humpbacks.
California accounted for 27.6% of confirmed reports, while Alaska had 23.7%.
If anyone encounters an entangled whale, they are encouraged to contact NOAA at 877-SOS-WHALE or 877-767-9425.
