Dolphins saved in Azohia after being caught in trawler net

THREE bottlenose dolphins were set free from a trawler net in Azohia with the help of the ‘Cetaceos y Navigacion’ company’s fisherman and the Naturalist’s Association of the South (ANSE).

The dolphins did not sustain any injuries whilst they were hemmed into the shallow waters and were freed fairly easily within a couple of hours. Divers from ANSE went underwater in full scuba diving gear to drop the level of the nets which are designed to capture large shoals of tuna.

The dolphins chase the fish into these series of nets and sometimes get stuck themselves. Often they are able to free themselves but sometimes they need help to find their way out.

The ANSE team is currently studying the marks on the dorsal fins of the dolphins to work out whether they are a new species on the Costa Calida or if they are endemic to the the Marine Reserve of Cabo Tiñoso in Azohia.