On Friday, June 26, the Italian Coast Guard freed a sperm whale from being entangled in an illegal fishing net off the Aeolian Islands.
Specifically, on Friday morning the Italian Coast Guard station in Lipari was informed from a group of biologists from a conservation center on the island of Filicudi that they had spotted a whale in distress.
The biologists saw an entangled whale about six miles northeast of the island of Salina. The 30-foot-long whale had fishing net wrapped completely around its tail.
Therefore, the Coast Guard deployed a patrol boat to the area, along with a team of local divers. It is reported that the divers spent about an hour in order to cut the net and free the whale’s tail.
After freeing the whale, it rejoined a group of three others which had been waiting at a distance.
The authorities recovered the fishing net as illegal fishing gear.
