Watch: How a live whale was discovered inside a salmon net pen

by
Editorial Staff

An unusual event occurred at Norwegian salmon producer Ellingsen Seafood early on Friday when a young minke whale was discovered inside one of the company’s salmon cages.

The incident was detailed by Line Ellingsen, the general manager of Ellingsen Seafood, in a Facebook post.

“A surprising start to the day at 7:00 AM when we discovered a minke whale in the middle of the cage 🐋,” Ellingsen wrote. “A young whale had burrowed through the net, creating a hole about 70 cm wide. A recapture net was in place by 8:00 AM.”

Ellingsen explained that the hole was temporarily patched, and a diver arrived at the facility around 10:00 AM to make a permanent repair.

“We have duly reported a possible escape, although we expect it to be very limited as the hole was at a depth of 18 meters and the smolt are positioned high in the cage,” she added.

“The whale was 4-5 meters long and was comfortable. It swam around calmly with the smolt. Since neither whale nor salmon were particularly stressed, it gave us time to plan how to free the whale,” wrote Ellingsen.
“Tonight at 20:30 we got the whale out of the note. It’s in great shape. So is the salmon!
Thank you very much to the Directorate of Fisheries for good cooperation, planning and follow-up along the way. Thanks to Folden Akva for excellent assistance. And not least, thanks to the good staff at Ellingsen Seafood who keep their heads cool and know exactly how the job should be done,” the post concluded.
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