SAN FRANCISCO— Federal data shows that 33 whales were reported entangled in fishing gear off the U.S. West Coast in 2025. That’s just one fewer than the 34 entangled in 2024, which was the highest number since 2018. At least nine whales have already been seen entangled in 2026, including two humpbacks entangled near Monterey, Calif., in late May.

“It’s just devastating that so many whales are getting tangled up in fishing gear. Whale entanglement is not a new problem and it shouldn’t still be happening at these high rates off the West Coast,” said Ben Grundy, an oceans campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These deaths could be prevented by closing whale hot spots to fishing or only allowing pop-up gear that reduces the risk of entanglements. If we don’t make changes, more whales will suffer and die.”

Seven of last year’s entanglements were humpbacks caught in fishing gear from the commercial Dungeness crab fishery. The California coonstripe shrimp fishery — with fewer than 20 participating boats — entangled two humpbacks. Of the 2025 data, 20 entangled whales were reported in California, 9 in Washington, 3 in Oregon, and one in Mexico entangled in Oregon gear.

Because not all entanglements are reported, these fisheries may be responsible for five times as many entanglements as the number reported, according to federal scientists.

To help reduce entanglement risk, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for the first time closed areas to Dungeness crab fishing effective March 27 and authorized the use of alternative gear starting April 3.

Most of the 2025 entanglements affected threatened or endangered humpback whales, while three of the reports involved gray whales. The population of gray whales has declined 50% in the past decade.

A marine heatwave currently off California is predicted to increase and persist through the summer, which will likely lead to more overlap between whales and fishing gear. Already at least 55 whales have stranded in 2026 off the West Coast because of starvation and ship strikes, another primary threat to whales. The last time there was a serious heatwave, known as the West Coast Blob, whale entanglements spiked and elevated levels have persisted since 2015.

To address the threat of ship strikes, the Center for Biological Diversity is suing the U.S. Coast Guard to ensure that it takes measures to protect endangered whale populations when designating shipping lanes.