Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading.
Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
Your current subscription does not provide access to this content.
Support the Peninsula’s only locally-owned newspaper. Subscribe!
Subscribing annually brings you big savings. We also offer monthly and weekly subscriptions.
Premium Subscription
As low as $8.25 per week
Premium Includes:
-- Access to the Daily Journal’s e-Edition: a digital replica of our daily newspaper including crossword puzzles, games, comics, classifieds and ads. You can download a digital replica of the Daily Journal for offline reading. You can also clip & download articles or images from the e-edition to share with others The most recent 90 issues are available at any given time.
-- Unlimited access to our award-winning online content
-- Commenting access on all stories as a valued member of the DJ community
-- NEW! Access to our online-only digital crossword puzzle. A new puzzle every day, seven days a week!
| Rate | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Year | $99.00 | for 365 days |
| 1 Month | $20.00 | for 30 days |
| 1 Week | $8.25 | for 7 days |
Support the Peninsula’s only locally-owned newspaper. Subscribe!
Subscribing annually brings you big savings. We also offer monthly and weekly subscriptions.
DJ Basic Subscription
As low as $5 per month
Basic includes:
-- Unlimited access to our award-winning online content
-- Commenting access on all stories as a valued member of the DJ community
What you're missing -- Additional features available only with the Premium level:
-- Access to the Daily Journal’s e-Edition: a digital replica of our daily newspaper including crossword puzzles, games, comics, classifieds and ads. You can download a digital replica of the Daily Journal for offline reading. You can also clip & download articles or images from the e-edition to share with others The most recent 90 issues are available at any given time.
-- NEW! Access to our online-only digital crossword puzzle. A new puzzle every day, seven days a week!
All for as low as $8.25 per month.
| Rate | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Year | $60.00 | for 365 days |
| 1 Month | $12.00 | for 30 days |
| 1 Week | $5.00 | for 7 days |
Fishing lines and gear wound tightly around the humpback whale’s tail, eroding its skin in the Monterey Bay in Monterey County May 2020.
The number of large whale entanglements off U.S. coasts jumped sharply in 2024, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Thursday.
NOAA confirmed 95 cases last year, a 48% increase from 64 entanglements in 2023 and well above the 17-year annual average of 71.4.
Humpbacks, commonly seen in the Bay Area, accounted for more than 70% of cases nationwide. Other species reported included fin, sperm, minke and gray whales.
California’s coast had the highest share of entanglements, 25% of the total, with Monterey Bay being a hot spot because of its popularity as a feeding area, NOAA said.
Most entanglements were linked to commercial or recreational fishing gear, which can hinder whales’ ability to feed, swim and breathe. Some whales free themselves, but others remain trapped for weeks or months, sometimes fatally.
The U.S. Large Whale Entanglement Response Network, made up of federal, state, tribal and nonprofit experts, responds to reports of entanglements, most of which come from the public. In 2024, the network responded to 37 of 87 live-whale reports, fully or partially freeing 11. Four whales disentangled themselves, though one later died.
The type of fishing gear also plays a role. Whale entanglements are the main reason Dungeness crab season is often delayed or shortened, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. CDFW has expanded trials of pop-up crabbing gear, which is considered safer for whales, and plans regulations authorizing statewide use starting in 2026.
In California, entanglements can be reported to (877) SOS-WHALE, (877) 767-9425, or the U.S. Coast Guard.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Friday, September 26, 2025 | 7:30 AM – 10:30 AMCrowne Plaza Foster City Read moreState of the Peninsula
Discover the Wild Beauty of Alaska – by Land and Sea! Read moreOn Stage Alaska Live!
Artists Hrabba Atladottir, Violin; Susan Freier, Viola; Stephen Harrison, Cello; Keisuke Nak… Read moreIves Collective Chamber Concert
It will take all of us to demand victory over mental illness. That’s why NAMIWalks San Mateo… Read moreJoin Us For NAMIWalks San Mateo County Annual Walk for Mental Health on October 4, 2025!
romagirl1962 said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.