TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A young dolphin was found tangled in the remnants of a crab trap under Pier 60 on Clearwater Beach on Wednesday.
The Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department posted photos and a video of the dolphin rescue on Twitter around 1:15 p.m.
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Clearwater police also responded.
According to Clearwater Fire & Rescue, the department’s lifeguards were the first on scene when they noticed an adult dolphin circling in shallow water.
When they went to check it out, they found the young dolphin tangled in the crab trap.
Clearwater police confirmed the young dolphin is not injured, but had to be rescued from the trap. Lifeguards were able to free the dolphin from the ropes
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium then took over the situation after being alerted to the dolphin by a stranding network and tried to reunite the dolphin with its mother near the pier. They made multiple attempts to reunite the juvenile dolphin with its pod, but it was not strong enough to swim away on its own.
Emily Stores, a vet technician with the aquarium, said that she believes the dolphin is under two years old. Young dolphins under a certain age rely on their mothers for care.
After hours of effort, the dolphin was taken from the water by a CMA crew shortly before 4 p.m. and loaded on to a truck. The dolphin was taken to SeaWorld to be checked out.
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is asking fishermen to be more careful with how they dispose of traps to keep marine animals safe.
