Last Saturday (12), a southern right whale was spotted entangled in a fishing net off the coast of Ponta do Papagaio Beach, in Palhoça, Greater Florianópolis, Brazil. What caught even more attention was that the whale wasn’t alone — a calf was swimming closely beside her. Footage of a man attempting to remove the net went viral on social media.
According to the Southern Right Whale Project (ProFranca), which had been monitoring the animal since Thursday (10), the net was lightly attached to the callosities on the whale’s head — rough patches of skin typical of this species. Researchers believe the whale may have swum through a larger net, and part of it became stuck to her body.
Eduardo Renault-Braga, the project manager, explained that situations like this are relatively common in the region. In many cases, whales are able to free themselves as the netting naturally tears due to friction with the callosities.
Despite the entanglement, the whale’s behavior appeared normal for the species during breeding season — remaining stationary or swimming slowly for extended periods, which is typical as females nurse and care for their young.
Risky Action Under Investigation
What caused a stir online was a video showing a man on a stand-up paddleboard approaching the whale and using a paddle to try to remove the net.
While his intentions may have been good, the action raised concerns among environmental authorities. Brazil’s environmental agency, IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources), is now investigating the incident. According to the agency, only trained and authorized personnel are allowed to perform interventions on large marine mammals.
In Brazil, the disentanglement of whales is considered a high-risk activity and is regulated by an official IBAMA ordinance. It requires specialized training, proper equipment, and legal authorization to ensure the safety of both the animals and the rescuers.
According to IBAMA’s regional superintendent in Santa Catarina, Paulo Maués, a technical evaluation found the entanglement to be superficial and not affecting the whale’s natural behavior, including nursing and care of the calf. For that reason, experts decided the safest course of action was to allow the net to detach naturally — a result observed in similar past cases.
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