WASHINGTON— At least 31 whales have been seen entangled in fishing gear off the East Coast already this year, according to a Center for Biological Diversity analysis of federal data.

The past decade has been deadly for whales and sea turtles, with at least 335 whale entanglements recorded off the Northeast and mid-Atlantic between 2017 and 2026. These numbers only reflect instances when a whale is seen actively entangled.

“Entanglements often kill or disable whales and sea turtles, and these shocking new numbers show we’re utterly failing to solve this deadly problem,” said Rachel Rilee, oceans policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “We’ve known for years that entanglements are killing critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, and pop-up fishing gear could help end this gruesome problem. Federal officials and the fishing industry need to stop making excuses and start embracing safer gear.”

The National Marine Fisheries Service is accepting public comment through Oct. 14 regarding the use of ropeless fishing gear to reduce entanglement risk to whales and sea turtles.

Fifty of the decade’s documented entanglements were critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. NOAA Fisheries counts at least 111 North Atlantic right whales as having been affected by entanglements in fishing gear, to account for those whales seen with entanglement wounds and scars, but no rope actively attached.

Only about 380 right whales remain, and each entanglement is a threat to the future of the species. Even when entanglements don’t kill a whale, they have been shown to hurt the animals’ ability to reproduce.

Humpback whales make up most of the whale entanglements, with 200 humpbacks entangled, and 44 were minke whales. Five endangered fin whales were entangled, along with two sei whales. Observers were not able to identify four of the entangled whales.

Not all entanglements are reported, and scientists estimate that only one-third of North Atlantic right whale deaths are observed. More than 85% of the population has scars or injuries from fishing gear entanglements at least once in their lives, with about 60% entangled multiple times.

Sea turtles are also often entangled in fishing gear. In Massachusetts alone, 280 leatherback sea turtle entanglements occurred in a 15-year period. The majority of the leatherbacks (94%) were entangled by buoy lines marking lobster, whelk and fish pots. A leatherback sea turtle was released from lines connected to crab pots in Virginia Beach this summer.

Traditionally, fishing pots have long lines connected to a buoy that can wrap around whales and sea turtles’ flippers and in some cases anchor the animals in place. Pop-up fishing gear eliminates these entanglement-prone lines by recalling buoys to the surface only when fishermen are ready to collect the pots.

A 2022 congressional rider delayed the implementation of stronger regulations to protect right whales, like requiring the use of pop-up gear, until 2028. Just last month the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to extend that deadline another 7 years, until 2035. The bill now awaits action in the Senate.