Whale entangled in fishing nets rescued in Yelapa

A female humpback whale that traveled with her calf in oceanic waters off Puerto Vallarta was rescued by biologists and elements of the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection, after realizing that it was entangled from head to tail with a fishing net.

Through social networks, specialists in marine mammals from Ecobac (Ecología y Conservación de Ballenas AC) reported that the rescue maneuvers began in the ocean at Los Arcos, but ended in Yelapa due to the fact that the female became stressed during the intervention.

In addition, being accompanied by her calf, she was also agitated by the presence of the vessels of specialists and federal authorities who sought to help them in the face of the situation, which finally resulted in the removal of the net.

“Although the whale was not very entangled, the maneuvers were complex, as the calf suddenly began to jump, making our boat and its crew look like tiny beings. Furthermore, the female did not like the maneuvers and she took us to Yelapa, but finally, in a little over three hours, we managed to free her completely,” Ecobac specialists shared.

“We are grateful for the support of PROFEPA, who helped us keep the boats at a distance in an area with a lot of navigation. This allowed us to do the maneuvers calmly and not upset the mother anymore.”

Currently, the Bay of Banderas, of which the coastline of Puerto Vallarta is part, is the object of the migration of whales originating from the north of the Pacific Ocean in search of warm waters to give birth or mate, hence it is common to observe females with their young.

Derived from this biological cycle, it is allowed the observation of the cetartiodactyls by boats accredited to the federal authority to offer this service, since they must comply with training so that tourist sightings do not disturb the specimens in transit.

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