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Pacific Ocean's unusual warming has led to some devastating consequences for the whales that use California waters for their migration purposes. More than 60 whales have been reported entangled this year alone in the fishing gear along the coast. This is a 400% spike over usual pattern that started in 2014. According to the scientists, whales may be swimming too close to the shore while following their prey. As a result, they end up on the same course as fishermen, lobsterman and crabbers, reports Fox News.

The situation has become so intense that the cab fishery has started working in collaboration with the state and federal agencies as well as the environmental groups to get control of the problem. The large ocean mammals also often get entangled in the lobster gear and gill nets but the authorities identify crab fishery as the most pressing worry. "This time of year, the whales would be offshore but with the blob of warm water, they're right off the beach. They're right where the crabs are," said Jim Anderson, a crabber who's helping to mobilize the state's 562 licensed Dungeness crab fishermen. "You go talk to a guy who's been fishing for 40 or 50 years and he's never seen anything like it," said Fox News.

If the whales are unable to free themselves from the rope stuck in their mouths or the ones that are tightly wrapped around their fins, they will die. Highly trained rescue teams are helping these whales to disentangle but they are able to do so on a very small percentage. In the past years, as many as 10 whales would be reported each year. According to the experts, these changes may be caused due to El Nino which are making whales come closer to the shore while following their prey into warm waters, as reported by Capital Public Radio.