Boaters spot sperm whale entangled in fishing net; video of rescue operation released

Tribune Web Desk
Chandigarh, July 20

A video of a sperm whale being entangled in a fishing net has been circulating on social media.   

According to the Associated Press, Italian coast guard divers and biologists were working on Sunday to free the sperm whale near a tiny Mediterranean island.

In the video, a diver can be seen slicing away some of the net surrounding the Aeolian Island archipelago. 

On Saturday, boaters spotted the struggling sperm whale in that stretch of the Tyrrhenian Sea off Italy’s west coast and contacted the coast guard.

The operation to free the sperm whale was particularly difficult “due to its state of agitation” that didn’t allow for continual intervention near the whale, the coast guard said Sunday.

Since the start of the year, the coast guard has sequestered illegal fishing nets totaling more than a 100 kilometers (62 miles) in length. The coast guard says it has stepped up its efforts this year to combat illegal fishing.