A juvenile humpback weighing about 6,000 pounds was found entangled in crab-pot line off the Oregon coast. A viral video showed about 20 people attempting a risky rescue, but the whale was euthanized on Nov. 17 after responders determined it was unlikely to survive until the next high tide. Conservationists say entanglements are at record levels and are urging regulators to require and incentivize whale-safe pop-up gear to prevent future deaths.
Young Humpback Euthanized After Becoming Entangled in Crab-Pot Line off Oregon Coast
A juvenile humpback weighing about 6,000 pounds was found entangled in crab-pot line off the Oregon coast. A viral video showed about 20 people attempting a risky rescue, but the whale was euthanized on Nov. 17 after responders determined it was unlikely to survive until the next high tide. Conservationists say entanglements are at record levels and are urging regulators to require and incentivize whale-safe pop-up gear to prevent future deaths.
03:54 AM, 11/19/2025Environment
Summary: A juvenile humpback whale was found entangled in crab-pot line off the Oregon coast and, despite a community rescue effort, was euthanized two days later when survival was deemed unlikely.
Rescue Attempt Captured on Video
On Nov. 15, TikTok creator Jacob Colvin posted video footage showing a frantic, community-led effort to free a roughly 6,000-pound juvenile humpback whale that had become tangled in crab-pot line and stranded in powerful surf and freezing water.
“When I got on scene, there were about 20 people next to the whale,” Colvin said. “They had a rope tied to the whale’s tail and a line of people pulling the rope, while a group of people were pushing the whale’s head. They were trying to rotate the whale so that it would face outward towards the ocean.”
Euthanasia After Rescue Efforts
Despite the tireless efforts of bystanders and responders working in hazardous conditions, the young humpback was euthanized at about 3 p.m. on Nov. 17. A spokesperson from the Hatfield Marine Science Center said the animal was highly unlikely to survive until the next high tide, prompting the difficult decision to humanely end suffering.
Conservation Response and Calls for Change
Ben Enticknap, Fisheries Campaign Director at Oceana, described the incident as a “painful reminder of a preventable problem: entanglement in fishing gear.” He urged the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to adopt stronger conservation measures to reduce whale entanglements in the Oregon Dungeness crab fishery and to incentivize the use of whale-safe “pop-up” fishing gear, which keeps lines and buoys on the seafloor until fishermen are ready to retrieve them.
Enticknap added that entanglements in Oregon are at record levels, and called for coordinated action by state and federal agencies — including the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission — alongside fishermen and gear manufacturers to accelerate adoption of safer gear and reduce deadly interactions.
Update: Colvin posted an update to his followers on Nov. 17 to report the whale’s passing.
Sources: Jacob Colvin; Ben Enticknap; spokesperson, Hatfield Marine Science Center.