October 2, 2026 — A new report finds there were 76 confirmed entangled large whales documented along the coasts of the United States in 2025.
The report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries says five of those entanglements were off the coast of Maine, with another unidentified whale in the Gulf of Maine. There were also two entanglements within the Gulf of Maine off the coast of Massachusetts.
The identified entangled whales off the Maine coast include three humpback whales, a fin whale and a minke whale. Both of the entangled whales off the northern coast of Massachusetts were humpback whales.
There was only one documented entanglement involving a North Atlantic right whale in 2025. That case was off the coast of Georgia.