DFO using satellite tracker to monitor entangled humpback whale in B.C.

The whale was found trailing discarded fishing gear in the Strait of Georgia on Sept. 21, 2025. (Vancouver Island Whale Watch )

Fisheries and Oceans Canada says it has attached a tracking device to an entangled humpback whale off the British Columbia coast, as officers plan to mount a rescue operation to free the mammal when the weather and location allow.

The whale was found trailing discarded fishing gear in the Strait of Georgia on Sunday afternoon. The operators of a whale-watching vessel notified the DFO and remained with the entangled whale until the fisheries officers arrived.

“Every minute matters in an entanglement case,” said Cheyenne Brewster, a naturalist with the Vancouver Island Whale Watch company, in a statement.

The attending fisheries officers attached a satellite tag to the fishing gear and continue to monitor the whale’s location.

“Debris is a real problem for marine wildlife,” agency spokesperson Lara Sloan said in an emailed statement Tuesday, confirming the rescue was still underway.

“The public can help prevent entanglements by cutting packing material, banding, rope and other looped material before disposing of it, and by not be disposing of these materials in the marine environment,” she added.

The discovery of the entangled whale comes just days after another humpback was struck by a ferry in northern B.C. and later died.

BC Ferries said the crew of the Northern Expedition vessel reported hitting the whale Wednesday near Prince Rupert. The ferry company reported the collision to federal authorities and local First Nations before the dead whale was found the next morning.

“The conservation and protection of marine mammals is a priority for Fisheries and Oceans Canada,” Sloan said. “DFO is a co-ordinating member of the B.C. Marine Mammal Response Network, which includes DFO and a number of other partners that DFO collaborates with to support responses to marine mammals in distress.”

The agency encourages anyone who encounters situations where whales are being harassed, disturbed or struck by vessels to contact the DFO marine mammal incident centre.

The entangled humpback, known as to researchers as “Wiggins,” was travelling with a companion whale known as “Fader,” when it was found in distress.

“Without fast reporting and response times, whales like Wiggins may not survive,” Brewster said.