A tragedy occurred earlier this month near Beaumont, Long Island, when an adult male orca died after becoming entangled in a cod fisherman’s gill net. Fishermen towed the dead orca, weighing an estimated 4.3 metric tons, 40 kilometers to shore.
DFO team about to necropsy an adult male killer whale that died off northern Newfoundland. Estimated to be 4.3 tonnes! Special thanks to the fisher that towed it in after finding it in his gear – a great opportunity for science to learn more about these elusive whales here. pic.twitter.com/hOKkAogVJ3
— Dr. Jack Lawson (@drjwlawson) October 3, 2019
This whale is not the first animal to die like this. Human consumption of aquatic animals ravages our oceans and kills trillions. In addition to the animals it targets, the fishing industry is responsible for the deaths of countless sharks, whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and porpoises.
Video footage released by Mercy For Animals, SeaLegacy, Sharkwater, and Turtle Island Restoration Network exposes how marine animals—including dolphins, sea lions, and seabirds—are routinely trapped and killed in the commercial fishing industry’s driftnets. Investigators documented animals being cut apart, pierced with hooks, caught in nets, and left to suffocate aboard driftnet fishing boats off the coast of California.
Just this past July, a mother sperm whale and her baby were found dead in Italy’s Tyrrhenian Sea. Environmental group Marevivo reported that the Italian coast guard was first on the scene after the whales were spotted. The nearly 20-foot mother was found with fishing net in her mouth, while the baby was completely tangled in the netting, leading the coast guard to believe that the mother whale died trying to save her baby.
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