Five California sea lions were rescued from fishing nets in the Gulf of California off the coast of Sonora.

The liberation of the three pups under a year old and an adult male and adult female was the result of a campaign to disentangle the mammals from fishing nets on Isla San Jorge, off the coast of Sonora.

The campaign began with a theoretical training course led by the Marine Mammal Center (TMMC) in Sausalito, California, in coordination with various Mexican conservation organizations.

Conanp explained in a press release that the nets used in the Gulf of California use buoys and weights to keep them spread vertically in the water, some as long as 800 meters.

Once set, they move with the currents to capture various species, some of which have difficulty getting free. Sea lions are among the marine mammals that die in the nets.

The California sea lion is protected as an at-risk species under a 2010 environmental protection law.

The rescue was carried out by agents from the Natural Protected Areas Commission (Conanp) and the environmental protection agency Profepa in coordination with personnel from the Islas del Golfo de California protected area and the navy.

Source: Milenio (sp)