Seal gets caught up in 'record breaking' net

A seal was rescued on a Cornish beach after it got tangled up in a "record breaking" fishing net.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said it received reports on Thursday that a young grey seal was "fighting for its life" on Falmouth's Gyllyngvase Beach.

It said the animal had become wrapped in red netting which measured 30.7m (100ft) and weighed 23.5kg (52lbs) - the largest single item of pollution it had ever released a live seal from.

BDMLR said the seal was "incredibly lucky" as members of its response team, the public and two Cornish Seal Sanctuary staff who lived nearby helped release it back to the sea with no serious injuries.

The charity said the previous largest piece of pollution was 11m (36ft) when a seal was rescued on the exact same date in 2022.

BDMLR said it believed the net found in Falmouth was part of mid-water trawl gear.

It added entanglement in marine litter was a "major threat to the welfare of seals and other wildlife species".

"With so much net wrapped tightly around its body this took some time, with many strands to slice through," the charity said.

"Eventually, once it was free, the juvenile animal was given a thorough health assessment that determined it had fortunately received no serious injuries and was otherwise in good health.

"It was given a temporary mark for future identification before being released back on to the beach and headed into the sea."

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