Could tsunami debris kill more marine animals?

By

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Will more marine mammals get caught up in fishing gear?

With tsunami debris moving closer to our coast, News1130 is finding out if we’ll see more whales, like the humpback that stranded itself in White Rock, are dying because of foreign equipment.

“I guess that’s still to do be seen,” says Paul Cottrell with the Department of Fisheries. “We’re keeping track of that and will continue to keep track of that to see if there are increases in entanglement.”

“We have the BC Marine Mammal Response Network; any marine mammal that are encumbered by gear, we’ve got this fast network to give us a call and we are able to quickly respond,” he notes.

As soon as they get word of wildlife in danger, they check it out, identify the gear, and remove it, as long as it’s safe to do so.

The fishing equipment that killed a beached whale last month was from somewhere in Asia or the Hawaiian Islands.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today