Humpback whale that stranded on Pea Island found entangled in fishing gear

April 18, 2024 | Fishing | By: Joy Crist

Photo by Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

A humpback whale was reported to partners in the NOAA Fisheries stranding network on the evening of Saturday, April 13, about 150 yards off the shoreline of Rodanthe.

The next morning on Sunday, April 14, a local fisherman saw and reported the whale still alive and entangled in fishing gear off the coast of Rodanthe.

On Tuesday, April 16, the whale washed ashore and stranded on the shoreline of Pea Island with gear entangled around a pectoral fin, and gear found in its mouth.

The whale did not survive, and was reported to be a juvenile female that was 31.5 feet long. Due to the presence of fishing gear, NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident.

According to NOAA Fisheries Communications Specialist Allison Garrett, there is an ongoing Unusual Mortality Event for humpback whales in the Atlantic. This is the 220th case along the East Coast and the 30th case off of North Carolina since January 2016. (There have been two whale deaths off the coast of North Carolina so far in 2024.)

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