Grey whale tangled in fishing gear off Tofino prompts search by DFO
The survival of a migrating grey whale spotted off Tofino, B.C., on Thursday hangs in the balance after photos showed fishing gear wrapped around the mammal's body.
Images posted to social media show a large grey whale entangled in rope and also dragging a floating buoy.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada was alerted to the issue Thursday afternoon after a group of whale-watching operators spotted and photographed the distressed mammal.
"The problem with towing gear is that it’s likely going to pick up more gear. That’s the issue,” said Paul Cottrell with the federal marine mammal response team.
Fisheries officers are already searching for the whale and on Friday morning a specialized team trained in disentanglement were mobilizing on the mainland to travel to Tofino.
Cottrell, who leads the team, says he is especially worried because it appears the fishing gear is wrapped around the whale's mouth.
He says it could impact the animal's ability to forage and eat, which is critical as the ocean giant migrates north towards Alaskan waters.
Cottrell says it’s unclear what type of fishing gear is hampering the whale's movements, but admits coastal waters are full of errant equipment.
The search is the second of its kind in the past two weeks for the disentanglement team.
Last week, they rushed to the waters off Prince Rupert, B.C., for a report of an entangled grey whale.
It has not been spotted again.
Anyone who sees an entangled or distressed whale is asked to call the DFO's 24-hour marine mammal hotline at 1-800-465-4336.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'We were vetted': Sex-ed organization 'disappointed' over Higgs' comments
The head of a Quebec-based sexual and reproductive health organization says she's disappointed New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has deemed presentations she did in the province last week inappropriate.
Grayson Murray's parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
The dreams of a 60-year-old beauty contestant come to an abrupt end in Argentina
A 60-year-old woman saw her dreams of becoming the oldest Miss Universe contestant in history melt away in a haze of sequins and selfies Saturday at Argentina’s annual beauty pageant.
2 died in plane crash near Squamish, B.C., police confirm
Two people died after a plane went down in a remote area near Squamish, B.C. on Friday, authorities have confirmed.
Kingston, Ont. tenants fed up with lack of action from landlord over broken floor tiles
Joel Felder and Misti Pitcher have been living in their apartment in Kingston, Ont. for over two years, but the past 12 months have been miserable.
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Are you a loud snorer? You could have sleep apnea
You'll have a lot more energy throughout the day if you get a good night's sleep, but not everyone does due to a medical condition.
At least 15 dead after severe weather carves path of ruin across multiple U.S. states in the South
Powerful storms killed at least 15 people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.
North Korea informs Japan of a plan to launch military spy satellite
North Korea has told Japan it plans to launch a satellite by early next week, an apparent effort to put its second military spy satellite into orbit.