The multi-ton humpback whale has become entangled in large anchors and ropes in its mouth, and needs help getting it out.
After some time, personnel from the Maritime Service’s Directorate of Fisheries managed to free the whale, before it was able to swim further unhindered, the Directorate itself reports. their website.
It was stated there that the crew managed to cut the rope attached to the drift anchor, then released the drift anchor from the whale’s head and mouth.
The situation arose during the annual herring entry into the fjords at Troms and Finnmark, where the Directorate of Fisheries was on site with two vessels to observe and control fishing.
During herring escapes, large schools of whales come each fall to graze on the herrings in competition with the fishing boats. Large numbers of tourists also visit the fishing grounds for whale watching.
– That is, situations quickly arise in which humans and animals can be exposed to hazards, writes the Directorate of Fisheries.
They stated that they had previously rescued several whales that had become entangled in fishing gear, who had become stranded in shallow bays or who had fallen into captivity.
Drift anchors, which this time created complications, are used in herring fishing to get the trawls out to sea and in proper formation.
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