Entangled humpback whale in B.C. 'a really challenging' case, DFO says

Marine mammal rescuers in British Columbia are searching for an entangled humpback whale in the waters off northern Vancouver Island.

The three-year-old whale, known as Vector, was photographed by a wildlife tour operator on Friday in the Johnstone Strait near Campbell River. The photos, shared online, show a length of rope or fishing gear wrapped tightly around the mammal.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is actively searching the area using boats and aerial drones, and is asking all mariners in the Salish Sea to be on the lookout for the imperiled animal.

Paul Cottrell, a marine mammal co-ordinator with the federal agency, says the entanglement is difficult to see and would be extremely difficult to disentangle due to the relatively short length of gear wrapped around the humpback.

"The animal is also very mobile," Cottrell told CTV News on Tuesday. "It's a really unfortunate and difficult entanglement, but if we can get a working line on it we will."

The distressed humpback was first reported by the Vancouver Island-based Marine Education and Research Society, which shared the tour operator's photos on social media in an effort to locate the mammal.

The non-profit group is asking boaters to keep an eye out for the humpback but maintain a distance of at least 200 metres from it and other whales. The group says the whale is identifiable by its unique dorsal fin.

"This is a really challenging one," Cottrell said, noting the rope entangling the whale appears to wrap all the way around the animal, cutting into its blubber in areas.

"There is a little bit of trailing gear, but not even reaching the length of the body," Cottrell said. "That's the challenge is it's not very visible."

The marine mammal co-ordinator says the DFO has "all eyes and ears on the water" Tuesday in an effort to locate the whale.

The agency is not aware of any sightings of the humpback since the photos were taken Friday, Cottrell added.

He says it's imperative that boaters report any potential sightings of the humpback to the agency at 1-800-465-4336, adding officials can typically respond to the location of any sighting within one hour.