SAN JUAN, WASHINGTON, Wash. — A humpback whale was spotted last week near San Juan Island with a severed off fluke in what officials believe was caused by long-term entanglement.
The San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network said the humpback whale was seen July 23 south of Lopez Island. The whale was initially spotted July 10 around the Campbell River in British Columbia, Canada.
The severed fluke is believed to have been caused by the animal being entangled, according to the stranding network. Humpback whales are known for their flukes. Each animal has a unique pattern on the underside of its fluke, similar to a Zebra's stripes.
Jessica Farrer, research director for the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, said humpback whales use flukes as their primary way to move through the water.
"Oddly or sadly, this is not that uncommon," Farrer said. "It's actually quite common for them to lose part of, if not all of their flukes. So, what's remarkable about this whale is that it's still it's persistent this long, long enough to be seen by Campbell River and then make it all the way down here under its own power without its flukes. It's just remarkable."
Farrer said the area where the fluke was severed could get infected and the animal could become nutritionally stressed because of its hampered ability to find enough food to survive.
With its severed fluke, Farrer said the whale is "sculling" with its pectoral flippers and laboring in the water. To make matters worse, Farrer said the whale was seen close to a group of West Coast Bigg's Killer Whales.
"This animal is at a severe disadvantage," Farrer said. "It's going to have a really hard time escaping predators."
WATCH: Aerial footage of the humpback whale swimming with a severed fluke
Lead entanglement responders said rope doesn't need to completely wrap the whale's peduncle to be able to sever off the fluke. The responders said a rope just needs to be draped over the flukes, acting as a "cheese wire" to sever off the whale's tail.
Given the whale's injury, Farrer does not believe the humpback will be alive much longer.
"If you thought about a four-legged animal that lost its hind legs and was dragging itself around, it's kind of something similar to that it's," Farrer said. "It's got a really challenging road ahead of it and I don't think it's a long road."
Farrer recommended reporting any cases where a whale might be entangled in the water. There are several agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that can handle reports of distressed whales.
"Very few people are aware of what's going on in our oceans and how our large whales are suffering because of it," Farrer said. "When a whale like this swims into the spotlight, it kind of gives us the opportunity to talk about it, because it is important to talk about. We would much rather get a call about a floating log that you think is an entangled whale versus being afraid that you're wrong. If you see something and you have concerns report it please just report it. That would be my one plea."
