Fishing gear and a trailing buoy is clearly visible behind a whale spotted north of Parksville on Sunday, Sept. 21. (Vancouver Island Whale Watch)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

water rescue

Efforts underway to untangle humpback whale from fishing gear near Parksville

Sep 22, 2025 | 3:33 PM

NANAIMO — Staff from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) are attempting to help free a humpback whale, spotted partially tangled in fishing gear over the weekend.

A pair of Nanaimo-based Vancouver Island Whale Watch boats and crew spotted ‘Wiggins’ in waters off the Ballenas Islands on Sunday, Sept. 21 with fishing gear trailing behind.

Cheyanne Brewster, marine naturalist with the company, told NanaimoNewsNOW tours were out on the water like most days during the summer.

“We were watching the whales, and then we saw two humpbacks show up, and one of them seemed to be trailing an orange float, and we realized that that whale was likely entangled.”

Crews from DFO were on scene quickly to deploy a tracking tag in a bid to keep tabs on the animals and eventually remove the gear. (Vancouver Island Whale Watch)

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The whales were identified as Wiggins and Fader, with Wiggins appearing to have at least one fishing line around its body.

Crew on the boat confirmed the situation with zoomed in photos and contacted DFO.

“They instructed us to stay on scene with the whale so that we could keep track of them…and then DFO got there with their own vessel they ended up putting a satellite tag onto the gear that the animal was entangled in.

The tag is being used during rescue efforts on Monday, Sept. 22 to track the animals and eventually remove the fishing gear from Wiggins.

It is not clear where the whales are as of Monday, and NanaimoNewsNOW has reached out to DFO gather more information.

Brewster added this is the first encounter of this type they’ve had, however entanglements are a real threat for whales and other animals through the Salish Sea.

“The long short of it is it can be fatal. We can go and lose our whales this way, so going in and preventing entanglements or reporting entanglements as soon as they are spotted, it’s very crucial for the animal’s safety and survival.”

According to tracking data, Wiggins lives primarily in the Salish Sea, with regular, reported sightings between Campbell River and Victoria, including several just north of Parksville.

It was also spotted in February and March 2025 in waters off Hawaii.

Image of Wiggins, a humpback whale engangled in fishing equipment. (Vancouver Island Whale Watch)

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