Divers try to rescue whale entangled in rope — with a shark in tow, video shows

Miami Herald

a day ago

Divers off the coast of Mexico recently tried to free a humpback whale wrapped up in fishing gear — with a shark in tow, video shows. Conservation officials labeled the undertaking as 'dangerous.'
The attempted rescue mission took place in the turquoise waters of the Gulf of California, near the city of La Paz, on June 5.
'Working hard trying to rescue an entangled (humpback) whale near Espiritu Santo island,' Chabe Castillo wrote in a Facebook post. 'There was still a shark in that net!! Crazy!!'
A video posted by Castillo shows the marine mammal swimming close to the rocky shore with a thick bundle of fishing gear — including twisted ropes and numerous buoys — ensnared around its tail.
Attached to the entanglement was a shark, seemingly lifeless, whose body had become intertwined with ropes.
A separate video shows a diver approaching the whale and cutting and removing a piece of the entanglement with a knife.
Soon after the videos were posted, a conservation group applauded the effort but said it should have been left to professionals.
'A huge thank you to those who tried to help the entangled whale in La Paz but we need for everyone to understand that these actions were dangerous for the people in the water and will make actual rescue of this whale more difficult,' the Mexico Marine Wildlife Rescue Center wrote in a post.
The incident should instead have been reported to the National Network for Care of Entangled Whales (RABEN) so that trained teams could have responded, the group said.
The group further stressed that untrained individuals should never approach entangled whales.
'In addition to the risk of being injured by the large mammal who is in distress, there is a high likelihood of becoming entangled yourself,' the post stated. 'If that animal dives while a person is caught up in the net they can easily drown…'
The group added that cutting away parts of an entanglement could actually do more harm than good — as it could complicate a rescue attempt undertaken by professionals.
'We do not say this to make anyone feel bad, only to make everyone aware of the serious risks,' the post concluded.
Humpback whales, which are found throughout all the world's oceans, can weigh up to 40 tons and measure up to 60 feet in length, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Entanglements with fishing gear are among the risks they face, which also include vessel strikes and ocean noise.
Globally, an estimated 300,000 cetaceans — which include whales and dolphins — die each year as a result of entanglements and getting caught by anglers, according to the International Whaling Commission.