The vertical scars on the right-hand side of the fluke of this whale are likely to have been caused by lobster lines and traps. Stevenson estimates that half the whales he sees have entanglement scars.
Humpbacks are curious and tactile animals and often rub their bodies against sargassum. Sadly, today this means that they also rub up against the abandoned fishing gear that pollutes our seas.
Human behavior threatens the mammals, who also face growing dangers from busy shipping lanes and the ingestion of ocean plastic.