Alex Trelinski
DIVERS have saved a humpback whale that was entangled in an illegal fishing net off Mallorca.
Driftnets are banned by the United Nations because of the danger they pose to marine life as opposed to just catching fish.
The 12-metre-long whale was spotted on Friday by a sailboat some two kilometres off the shore of Cala Millor.
It was only the third time that a humpback whale had been sighted in the area.
It was encased in the netting and was about to suffocate.
Divers were brought in from local clubs under the coordination of the Palma de Mallorca Aquarium marine rescue centre.
They believe the whale had been trapped in the illegal net for some days.
Initial attempts to cut the net from a boat failed and so the divers went in for what turned out to be a 45 minute operation to free the whale.
They used knives to cut the net to end the whale’s ordeal.
All images courtesy of Cordon Press.
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