A giant manta ray is swimming free after divers off Costa Rica released it from a fishing line it was tangled in, and the entire episode was caught on video.
The manta ray approached divers off Costa Rica’s Bat Islands earlier this month, and according to the Daily Mail , seemed to be pleading for help from them. The ray was caught in a tangled fishing line, which can be painful or even deadly to the fish. The divers obliged, cutting the thick line away from the manta.
Manta rays can grow to have a wingspan of 18 feet, and some of the largest individuals weigh as much as 5,000 pounds. They are a type of eagle ray and are under strict protection, as they are considered a threatened species. Overfishing is one of the greatest threats to manta rays, as they are harvested for their meat, skin, and oils.
TODAY: 5 species of shark & 2 types of manta ray now protected: http://t.co/7Vc3Kj1NAh #sharks914 @CITESConvention pic.twitter.com/gWiN8X93PC
— pew environment (@pewenvironment) September 14, 2014
After the divers removed the fishing line from the ray, it did a backflip, as if in joy at being freed. Clear of the entangling line, the manta went on its way. The entire incident was captured on video by one of the divers, and the team member who cut away the offending line kept it as a souvenir of the unusual encounter, distributing pieces of it to each diver.
When this gigantic manta ray was entangled in a fishing net, it… – http://t.co/zYDgA30C0P pic.twitter.com/ReMBCKO6I3 — Lost At E Minor (@lostateminor) September 12, 2014
“We picked up the line,” one of the divers said, according to the Daily Mail . “It’s our trophy now! Brian, the diver who cut the line, gave a little piece for all divers there!”
Several months ago, The Inquisitr reported on the similar rescue of another manta ray. That fish was also tangled in a line, which had badly damaged its right side. After divers encountered it off the coast of the Philippines, they removed the entanglement, freeing the ray. The animal stayed with the divers until they were forced to ascend from the depths due to a lack of oxygen.
Just last week, a new set of standards were introduced, aiming at protecting sharks and manta rays from overfishing. According to the Washington Post , the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora, known as CITES, announced the rules, which require fisherman in the 180 member nations to obtain a permit to hunt sharks and manta rays for their fins or meat.
[Image via The Daily Mail ]
