Thursday, October 21, 2021

Spanish researchers free massive sunfish from tuna nets

Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Spanish researchers shared video of a massive sunfish rescued from tuna nets that weighed at least 2,200 pounds -- and might weigh nearly twice that.



Researchers with the Estrecho Marine Biology Station of the University of Seville said the sunfish was found entangled in tuna nets Oct. 14 off the coast of Ceuta and it took two cranes to lift the fish out of the water to be freed from its predicament.

The researchers said they attempted to weigh the fish, but their scale topped out at 2,200 pounds. They estimated the sunfish, the largest species of bony fish in the world, could weigh up to 4,000.

The sunfish, which measured 10.5 feet long and 9.5 feet wide, is believed to be the largest ever found in the region, the researchers said.


The sunfish was returned to the water and set free.

California angler rescues whale entangled in lobster trap

Oct. 21 (UPI) -- A San Diego angler fishing with friends about 100 miles off the coast came to the rescue of a whale found entangled in a lobster trap.

Matt Capron said he and his friends were on a weekend fishing trip about 100 miles off the coast of Point Lima, in an area known as Tanner Banks, when they spotted a whale that they soon realized was caught in a lobster trap.

"It was probably between 4 to 7 feet down. The rope was attached to its body right before the fluke, and it was looped six or seven times," Capron told KGTV.

Another angler recorded video when Capron jumped into the water with a filet knife and cut through the ropes.

Capron said the freed whale initially swam off, but returned a few minutes later, a gesture he interpreted as gratitude.

"We're just so fortunate that we came upon it when we did," Capron said. "It was probably one of the highlights of my life. Honestly."



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