Wildlife officials are raising concerns after a distressed humpback whale became entangled in heavy commercial fishing gear off the Southern California coast.
Passengers aboard a Harbor Breeze whale-watching tour spotted the whale near the Palos Verdes area last Thursday.
“Today on our 12:00pm Whale Watch we witnessed a struggling Humpback Whale that was entangled in fishing nets off Point Fermin,” Harbor Breeze wrote in the caption of a video showing the incident.
“Because of this entanglement, this whale is not able to move freely, cannot feed, and can even have trouble getting to the surface to breathe. While all littering in the ocean is dangerous, Commercial fishing gear is absolutely one of the most common occurrences for killing marine life,” the company added.
Harbor Breeze operates whale-watching tours and other ocean excursions from several Southern California locations, including Long Beach, San Pedro and Santa Monica.
In the video, the net appeared to be wrapped around the whale’s midsection, limiting the movement of its pectoral fins.
Wildlife experts tried to rescue the humpback whale, but challenging water conditions prevented them from cutting it free.
“The team made multiple attempts to reach the trailing gear, but the whale’s behavior and water and weather conditions hampered their efforts. They also attempted to put on a satellite tracking tag, but similarly, conditions hampered their efforts,” Sarah Mesnick, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Southwest Fisheries Science Center, told KTLA.
Before Thursday’s sighting, the same whale had been observed without a net off Humboldt County on August 22 and near San Luis Obispo on September 20.
The incident follows a NOAA report documenting 76 confirmed large-whale entanglements along U.S. coastlines in 2025, including 65 humpback whales.
Among the 11 states that reported confirmed whale entanglements, California accounted for 27.6% of the cases, while Alaska represented 23.7%.
People who spot an entangled whale can report it to NOAA by calling 877-SOS-WHALE or 877-767-9425.
