The race is on to save a sperm whale after it was found entangled in an abandoned fishing net off the coast of Spain.
Distressing images show the large mammal completely caught up in the potentially fatal net in waters in the Strait of Gibraltar.
The entire length of the whale’s body from its head to its tail had become entangled, preventing it from being able to swim properly.
It comes just days after heartbreaking footage showed another sperm whale caught in fishing nets off the Italian coast.
Distressing images show the large mammal completely caught up in the net in waters in the Strait of Gibraltar
Images taken by underwater photographer Rafael Fernandez Caballero showing the 33ft-long sperm whale caught in the net off the Spanish southern coast were sent to the Spanish Ministry of the Environment
The whale off Spain was first spotted by marine conservation group Nereide Association, which raised the alarm to authorities last week.
The group said they were unable to immediately help the whale due to a lack of resources on board and adverse weather conditions.
Images taken by underwater photographer Rafael Fernandez Caballero showing the 33ft-long sperm whale caught in the net off the Spanish southern coast were sent to the Spanish Ministry of the Environment.
A mission to free the animal from the net was launched by Spanish environmental authorities, who are working alongside marine biologists to track the animal down.
Eva Carpinelli, president of Spain’s Nereide Association, said the sperm whale was ‘completely trapped in a fishing net covered from its head including the mouth to its tail’.
She said the fishing net made it difficult for the animal to swim, and the whale’s blowhole which allows it to breathe air seemed ‘weak’.
‘Due to a lack of resources on board the search vessel and sudden adverse weather conditions at sea, we had to return to the coastline and were unable to help the sperm whale,’ Ms Carpinelli told the Gibraltar Chronicle.
‘We felt frustrated at not being able to help the animal or stay with it to check its vitals.’
Just days ago, separate images emerged showing a giant sperm whale caught in a fishing net off the Italian coast near a tiny Mediterranean island.
Desperate attempt to free a sperm whale caught in a fishing net
Just days ago, separate images emerged showing a giant sperm whale caught in a fishing net off the Italian coast near a tiny Mediterranean island
Boaters on Saturday had 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 off Italy over the weekend was particularly difficult ‘due to its state of agitation’ that didn’t allow for continual intervention near the whale
In a coast guard video, a diver can be seen slicing away some of the net in the waters surrounding the Aeolian Islands archipelago.
Boaters on Saturday had 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.
Three weeks ago, the Italian coast guard freed another sperm whale ensnared in a fishing net, also in the sea off the Aeolian Islands.
Since the start of the year, the coast guard has sequestered illegal fishing nets totalling more than a 62 miles in length.
The coast guard says it has stepped up its efforts this year to combat illegal fishing.
‘Bycatch’ is the term given to the accidental capture of marine life in fishing gear.
It is a global issue, affecting many different species including seals, turtles and sea birds.
It’s estimated that at least 300,000 cetaceans (aquatic mammals) are caught in this way every year, according to The International Whaling Commission.
Sperm whales have the largest brain on Earth, communicate through a complex system and live in tight knit family groups
Sperm Whales belong to the suborder of toothed whales and dolphins, known as odontocetes, and is one of the easiest whales to identify at sea.
The creatures gained their name during the days of commercial whaling.
Whalers thought that their large square heads were huge reservoirs for sperm, because when the head was cut open it was found to contain a milky white substance.
An intestinal secretion called ambergris found in sperm whales was used as a fixative in the perfume industry.
At one time, it was worth more than its weight in gold but this is no longer the case.
Sperm whales gained their name during the days of commercial whaling. Whalers thought that their large square heads were huge reservoirs for sperm, because when the head was cut open it was found to contain a milky white substance
Its skin is dark or brownish grey, with white markings around the lower jaw and underside. It has relatively short, stubby flippers and a low hump instead of a dorsal fin.
Its diet is largely made up of squid. The creatures have a life expectancy roughly equivalent to a human’s, at around 70 years.
Males grow to around 18.3 metres (60 feet), with females reaching 12 metres (40 feet). Their young, or calfs, grow to around 3.5 metres (11 feet).
They have a maximum weight of around 57,000 kilograms (125 tonnes) for males.
The sperm whale’s huge head, which is up to 1/3 of its overall body length, houses the heaviest brain in the animal kingdom.
It also contains a cavity large enough for a small car to fit inside which holds a yellowish wax known as spermaceti oil, thought to help in buoyancy control when diving and act as an acoustic lens.
They have between 40 and 52 teeth in their long, narrow lower jaw which are thick and conical, and can grow to 20cm (eight inches) long and weigh 1kg (two pounds) each.
The sperm whale is one of the deepest diving mammals in the world, regularly making dives of up to 400 metres (1,300 feet) sometimes reaching depths of up to two to three kilometres (one to two miles)
It is thought to be able to hold its breath for up to two hours, although 45 minutes is the average dive time.
Sperm whales are found in most of the world’s oceans, except the high Arctic, and prefer deep waters.
The exact current worldwide population is not known, but it is estimated at around 100,000. The sperm whale is listed as a vulnerable species.