Muscat: Efforts are on to rescue a rare Arabian Sea Humpback whale that got itself entangled in a fishing net off the coast of Muscat recently.  

The whale, enveloped in the net, was last sighted about 65km from the shore.

The endangered species is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

“Inform all vessels to look for a humpback whale that is entangled in a fishing net. Its last known position was 65km east off Muscat’s coast on Friday 11th November, and is presumed to be slowly swimming southwards. This whale is one out of only 100 of the Arabian Sea humpback whale population, which is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List, so every whale counts,”  said a statement issued by the Environmental Society of Oman (ESO).

If the whale is spotted, inform the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs’ (MECA) 24-hour wildlife emergency hotline, on 24696333, or inform the ESO on 99855108.

“If possible please take photographs of the whale, but maintain a safe distance of 100m from the distressed whale. Don’t attempt to release it yourself as it’s in a highly dangerous situation,” the statement said.

Video of a group of tourists trying to help the whale went viral on social media, but they could not free the whale from the net completely.

Humpback whales in the Arabian Sea are the most genetically distinct humpback whales in the world and may be the most isolated whale population on earth, according to the Environment Society of Oman.