This year to date, 10 killer whales have been incidentally caught in Alaska by the Bering Sea and Aleutian Island groundfish trawl fisheries and in its annual longline survey for sablefish and groundfish.
In one of the incidents, one orca was released alive. NOAA Fisheries is currently analysing collected data from the other nine to determine the cause of injury or death and also to try to discover which population these whales belong to, by reviewing genetic information. The vessels involved were required to carry two trained NOAA Fisheries observers and as orcas are covered under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, vessel owners or operators must report all incidental mortalities and injuries of marine mammals that occur during commercial fishing to NOAA, to determine whether the animals were dead prior to being caught, or were killed/seriously injured by the fishing gear.
Fishing gear is the biggest single killer of dolphins and whales around the world. Thousands suffer or die daily as a result of entanglement, and some cetacean populations will be lost forever in the next few decades if these deaths continue.
