'Best birthday present ever!' says Spanish diver after saving trapped whale In a gripping underwater rescue, Spanish divers have freed a 12-metre long humpback whale entangled in an illegal drift net off the Balearic island of Mallorca. A 12-metre-long humpback whale is seen entangled in an illegal drift net near Cala Millor beach in the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain May 20, 2022. REUTERS/NGO Xaloc/Hector Gago One of the divers, 32-year-old marine biologist Gigi Torras, said last Friday's rescue and a little gesture of appreciation from the giant mammal were also a birthday present for her - the 'best ever' in her words. "It was like out of this world, it was incredible, just incredible," she told Reuters on Tuesday. It was only the third time that a humpback has been see...
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A humpback whale, likely lured by a trawling net capturing masses of Antarctic krill, became entangled last month and died in the Southern Ocean. Three dead juveniles were caught in the same company's krill nets last year. Scientists say the humpbacks may have been malnourished while forced to compete for food with a burgeoning industry harvesting the tiny crustaceans - the linchpin in the Antarctic food web - for use in pharmaceuticals and fish feed. The fishing company, Norway's Aker BioMarine, said these were its first cases of whale bycatch in 15 years of harvesting krill in Antarctica, and that it has since reinforced its ships' devices for keeping marine mammals out of its nets. Pål Skogrand, director of Antarctic affairs and sustainability at Aker BioMarine, said the c...
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