A humpback whale has been spotted tangled in fishing gear near the Ballenas Islands in the Strait of Georgia, sparking an urgent response from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

The whale, known to researchers as Wiggins (BCY1469), was first seen on Sunday afternoon by crews with Vancouver Island Whale Watch, who reported the entanglement and stayed with Wiggins and a companion whale, Fader (BCY0195), until DFO teams arrived.

Responders were able to deploy a satellite tag on Wiggins, which will help them track the whale’s movements and plan a safe disentanglement attempt expected to take place later Monday.

“Without fast reporting and response times, whales like Wiggins may not survive,” said Cheyenne Brewster, a marine naturalist with Vancouver Island Whale Watch. “Every minute ma

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