SeaDoc's Jen Renzullo, who works on derelict fishing gear programs in California, was quoted in a Los Angeles Times article about the record number of whales that have been entangled in crab fishing gear off the California coast.
“There are a couple of things going on here, and they’ve become political,” Jennifer Renzullo, a research biologist at UC Davis, said in an interview. “For some reason, perhaps because of unusual conditions at sea, humpback and gray whales that tend to migrate through the areas such as Monterey Bay have been spending more time there. Coincidentally, the crab population was healthiest there this year, in terms of harvesting.
“More fishing pressure,” she added, “combined with more whales hanging out in the area are contributing to a spike in entanglements.”
Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times website.