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Don't Let Budget Cuts Sentence Whales to Death

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Sponsor: Free The Ocean

Whales are tangled in fishing gear in remote Hawaiian waters — and the crews that save them are being cut.

Don't Let Budget Cuts Sentence Whales to Death

Each year, humpback whales and other large cetaceans move through Hawaiian waters. Each year, some become entangled in fishing gear. Without trained responders, the right vessels, and specialized equipment on standby, these animals die slowly. The ability to reach them in time is not guaranteed — and right now, it is getting harder to maintain.

The Scale of the Problem Is Real and Documented

NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary has tracked large whale entanglement incidents across Hawaii for years, and its most recent season-end report confirms the problem continues.3 Freeing a large whale from rope and gear is specialized, dangerous work that demands experienced crews operating from appropriate vessels — often in difficult open-ocean conditions.4 Distance makes everything harder. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands stretch more than 1,200 miles from Honolulu, placing entangled animals far beyond the reach of any improvised or underfunded response.

Budget Cuts Are Eroding the Agency Responsible

NOAA manages marine sanctuaries and coordinates large whale entanglement response across U.S. waters. The agency is now facing deep proposed budget reductions, with cuts targeting staffing, field operations, and research programs across the board.5 Fewer resources translate directly into slower response times, reduced training, and widening coverage gaps — especially in remote areas like Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, one of the largest marine protected areas on Earth.

More Fishing in Sensitive Waters Means More Risk

At the same time response capacity shrinks, the waters around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are open to more fishing activity. The Trump administration reversed long-standing conservation measures and reopened previously protected Hawaiian waters to commercial fishing in June 2026.2 This move is part of a broader pattern of rollbacks affecting Pacific marine monuments.7 A separate executive order on recreational fishing has drawn further concern from ocean advocates over cumulative impacts on marine ecosystems.1

More gear in the water means more entanglement risk. Reduced NOAA capacity combined with expanded fishing in sensitive habitat is a compounding problem — and the animals caught in the middle have no way out without human intervention.

Dedicated Response Saves Lives

This is not guesswork. NOAA Fisheries documented meaningful reductions in entanglement harm for Hawaiian monk seals when dedicated response and monitoring programs were consistently maintained.6 The same logic applies to large whales. Reliable, funded capacity works. When it disappears, animals die that could have been saved.

Permanent Capacity Is the Only Real Solution

A petition to NOAA leadership and Congress calls for permanent, dedicated vessel, staffing, and equipment capacity for whale entanglement response and marine wildlife emergency operations in the Papahānaumokuākea region. The goal is to make this an essential, guaranteed function — not a program that evaporates when budgets tighten or political winds shift.

Sign the petition now and demand that NOAA and Congress commit to permanent entanglement response capacity in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands — before more whales pay the price of inaction.

More on this issue:

  1. Maya Yang, The Guardian (25 September 2026), "Trump's executive order on recreational fishing is a 'giveaway of fish and ocean ecosystem', advocates warn."
  2. Marcel Honoré, Honolulu Civil Beat (11 June 2026), "Trump Reopens Protected Hawaiian Waters To Commercial Fishing."
  3. NOAA Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (1 May 2025), "Large Whale Entanglement Response: 2025 Season-End Report."
  4. NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA Sanctuaries (1 June 2017), "Disentangling Giants: Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Combats Unintended Catch."
  5. Nathan Strout, Seafood Source (13 May 2025), "Trump administration officially proposes drastic cuts to NOAA, targeting climate-related research."
  6. NOAA Fisheries, NOAA Fisheries (1 April 2025), "A Substantial Reduction in Seal Entanglement."
  7. Earthjustice, Earthjustice (11 June 2026), "Trump Administration Continues Attacks on Pristine Pacific Marine Monuments."

The Petition

To the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, the NOAA Administrator, and the United States Congress

Every year, humpback whales and other large cetaceans enter Hawaiian waters — and every year, some become entangled in commercial and recreational fishing gear. Without trained responders, specialized equipment, and vessels ready to deploy, these animals face a slow and painful death. The capacity to reach them in time is not a luxury. It is a matter of basic responsibility.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands stretch more than 1,200 miles from Honolulu. Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is one of the largest marine protected areas on Earth, and the animals within its boundaries are among the most isolated from emergency help. Freeing a large whale from rope and gear requires experienced teams working from appropriate vessels, often in difficult open-ocean conditions. That kind of response cannot be improvised. It must be resourced, trained, and ready before the need arises.

Right now, that readiness is under threat. NOAA — the agency responsible for both managing marine sanctuaries and coordinating large whale entanglement response — is facing proposed budget cuts that would reduce staffing, field operations, and the very programs that make timely response possible. At the same time, previously protected Hawaiian waters have been reopened to commercial fishing, and a broader pattern of rollbacks to Pacific marine monument protections is expanding the amount of gear in these sensitive habitats. More gear in remote water means more entangled whales, and fewer resources means fewer rescued ones.

The evidence that response capacity saves lives is not theoretical. NOAA Fisheries has documented that dedicated entanglement response and monitoring programs for Hawaiian monk seals produced meaningful reductions in harm. The same principle applies to large whales. Consistent, funded capacity works. Its absence carries a measurable cost.

We urge you to act: direct NOAA to maintain permanent, dedicated vessel, staffing, and equipment capacity for whale entanglement response and marine wildlife emergency operations in the remote waters of the Papahānaumokuākea region. This capacity must be treated as an essential, guaranteed function — not a discretionary program subject to budget pressures or shifting political priorities.

These animals cannot advocate for themselves. They rely entirely on our willingness to show up for them. Committing to permanent response capacity in these waters will help secure a healthier ocean and a more humane future for all.

Sincerely,

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