LĀNA‘I, Hawai‘i (Island News) -- A heartbreaking discovery off Lāna‘i this week. Researchers with Cascadia Research Collective found an endangered false killer whale severely entangled in marine debris.

The adult male, identified as HIPc373, is part of Cluster 4 of the endangered main Hawaiian Islands population of false killer whales. The team spotted the animal during their ongoing field project, their 12th year working off Maui Nui and sixth based on the island of Lāna‘i.

The group’s goal this season is to locate and study members of this rare population, using satellite tags, genetic sampling and photo identification to track behavior and health. But during one of those surveys, the crew witnessed something they’d never seen before.

“Finding out that it was entangled in marine deb

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