Dramatic underwater footage captures divers rescuing a stingray, entangled in a fishing net in Dar es Salaam.
It was during a 15 meter deep night dive at the well-known dive site, Pipefish City, when dive leader, Alex, from Sea Breeze Marine first noticed the ensnared Bluespotted Ribbontail ray. It wasn’t moving at first but upon lifting the net, the ray began struggling to free himself. Alex began cutting away the fishing net while being careful to steer clear of the squirming ray’s venomous tail spine. The stingray was finally released after several minutes and quite a few cuts to the net and fluttered off.The spines on the gill cover are reported to be venomous and can inflict a painful wound. Squirrelfish are closely related to Soldierfish.
The Blue-spotted Ribbontail ray (Taeniura lymma) is listed as a “Near Threatened” species. Two leatherback turtles were found dead in the same fishing nets a few days earlier.