Italian coast guard works to free sperm whale from fish net

Italian coast guard divers and biologists were working Sunday to free a sperm whale that was entangled in a fishing net near a tiny Mediterranean island.In a coast guard video, a diver can be seen slicing away some of net in waters surrounding Aeolian Island archipelago. Boaters on Saturday h spotted struggling sperm whale in that stretch of Tyrrhenian Sea off Italy’s west coast and contacted coast guard.

operation to free sperm whale was particularly difficult “due to its state of agitation” that didn’t allow for continual intervention near whale, coast guard said Sunday.Three weeks ago, Italian coast guard freed ar sperm whale ensnared in a fishing net, also in sea off Aeolian Islands.Since start of year, coast guard has sequestered illegal fishing nets totaling more than a 100 kilometers (62 miles) in length.. coast guard says it has stepped up its efforts this year to combat illegal fishing.

(Im Credit: AP)