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With the help of others
sailors in the area, the
coast guards crew members
cut the nets and released
the whales.
/ National Coast Guard
Service courtesyphoto.
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Coast guard
releases three whales
trapped in a fishing net
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Over the weekend officers from
the National Coast Guard Service
responded to an emergency call
about three whales trapped in
fishing nets near Sirena Beach*
in the Corcovado National Park.
The call came from people who
were sailing nearby.
According to the coast guard
report, a female adult whale and
two young whales were in danger
of death because they were
completely entangled in long
fishing nets.
With the help of others sailors
in the area, the coast guards
crew members cut the nets and
released the whales.
"The work became a bit risky
because the whales were
aggressive and at times hit the
boats," the coast guards said in
their report.
In relation to the most recent
rescues of marine animals, as
A.M. Costa Rica reported May 23,
the coast guard released a baby
sea lion rescued in Guanacaste.
On that occasion, the officers
of the Environmental Unit of the
coast guard's Golfito station
freed the male sea lion that was
rescued from a rocky area of Grande Beach*
in, Guanacaste.
According to the coast guard,
the young animal may have
reached the beach from the
Galapagos Islands. It appears
that the baby sea lion had
arrived on the beach alone
because no signs of other adults
were seen in the area.
Experts transferred the animal
to the Marine Park of the
Pacific in Puntarenas where
biologists from the National
University gave him medical
attention.
"The sea lion was tired, with
small wounds on his face,
hungry, but in good health,"
said the park rangers in their
report.
After a few days of care, it was
transferred to a coast guard
station in Golfito. There, the
officers cared for him until
they took him to a patrol boat
and released him at Punta
Matapalo* Beach.
"He was serene, showing signs of
happiness, this beautiful
animal, even in his youthful
stage, that is, mischievous,
vigorous, inexperienced and for
that reason, he had gone
astray," said the coast guard in
the report.
According to the experts,
Matapalo is a privileged area
because the marine currents are
like wide roads to direct the
sea lion back to its home in
Galapagos.
The sea lion's range extends
from the subarctic to tropical
waters of the global ocean in
both the Northern and Southern
hemispheres with the notable
exception of the northern
Atlantic Ocean.
In April another a sea lion was
seen at Malpais Beach*
in Puntarenas. A group of
tourists shared a video on
social networks showing the
moment when the animal left the
sea to stay on the rocks.
According to specialists, sea
lions are always near the coast
and prefer to settle down over
tropical waters, which is why it
is not common to see one in
Costa Rican seas.
The coast guards reports that a
few are coming in Costa Rica
have been recorded in Golfito
and Corcovado National Park,
Jacó Beach and now Las Baulas.
According to the World Wildlife
Fund, six species of sea lions
are classified around the world:
California, Steller, Australia,
Galapagos, New Zealand, and
South America. They are
vulnerable to the effects of
climate change on ocean
currents, which impact the
abundance of their prey fish.
---------------------------------
What should do the National
Coast Guard Service to prevent
that another whale of marine
animal gets trapped in fishing
nets?
We
would like to know your thoughts
on this story. Send your
comments to news@amcostarica.com
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