"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently reported a spike in entangled whales off California in 2024, leading scientists and marine mammal biologists to worry about how this year will go as winter fishing seasons get underway. Already, sea creatures have been plagued in 2025 by deadly algae blooms, bacterial illnesses and shifts in food sources, as well as the always-present threats of fishing gear and ship strikes."
"'When we think about the solution to end species endangerment and protect biodiversity, we need NOAA at all stages to have robust support to be able to do that,' Dave Bader, a marine biologist at the Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles, said. 'From the regulatory side, to the development side, to the enforcement side, all of those right now could use support and strengthening and we're seeing that get weakened.'"
NOAA reported a rise to 95 confirmed whale entanglements in U.S. waters in 2024, up from 64 in 2023 and above the 2007–2023 average of 71. A quarter of entanglements occurred off California, with Massachusetts, Alaska and Hawaii reporting significant numbers. Sea creatures faced deadly algal blooms, bacterial illnesses and shifts in food sources in 2025, along with persistent threats from fishing gear and ship strikes. Fiscal and staffing cuts plus furloughs at NOAA have reduced enforcement and investigation capacity during a federal shutdown. Authorities delayed California's 2025 Dungeness crab season to protect whales. Marine biologists say NOAA needs stronger support to protect biodiversity.
Read at The Mercury News
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