A humpback whale trapped in an illegal fishing net was set free after a rescue team set out to save it in the Gulf of California in Mexico on Feb. 19.
The whale was tangled in a gillnet, which is commonly used by poachers. The net hangs vertically in the water, trapping fish by their gills.
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The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society set the 10-metre long whale free by cutting the net, which was stuck on the whale’s nose.
READ: Two humpback whales breach and swim around fishing boat near Nanaimo
“It was heartbreaking to see this whale entangled in a net, but we managed to save it and after four hours of hard work, the whale swam free!” the rescue group posted on Facebook.
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Last year, the Mexican government banned the use of gillnets, often used to catch fish for the black market in Asia.
The vaquita, a small and highly endangered porpoise native only to the northern Gulf of California, is reportedly frequently caught in the illegal nets.
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