A touching video shows how two fishermen were able to rescue a baby dolphin caught in a fishing line with an unexpected helper: the dolphin's mother.
In the video, the baby dolphin's tail was tied up in an anchor line that was pulling it too far underwater for it to breathe.
The two men at the scene, Jose Ramón Pérez and Miguel Rodríguez, noticed how its mother kept lifting the struggling calf to the surface for it to take in air.
"I saw something floating, but it wasn't actually floating at the surface. It was underneath," Ramón recalled to Good News Network. "Miguel said it was a dolphin, but I thought it was strange because it hadn't moved at all."
"The mother was trying to call us. When we got there she didn't leave [the dolphin's] side for a second," he continued.
In an effort to help the dolphins, the two called local authorities, who put them through to Equinac, a marine wildlife rescue and conservation charity in Almería, Spain.
Professionals from the team then guided the fishermen over the phone, directing them how to cut the rope and free the baby dolphin from nearly drowning.
"If those boys hadn't been there, the baby would have died," noted Eva María Morón, a coordinator at Equinac.
Though this story had a heartwarmingly happy ending, not all sea creatures are as lucky.
Every year, the fishing industry kills hundreds of thousands of dolphins, whales, and sea turtles, also known as "bycatch."
Thankfully, plant-based fish alternatives and cell-based seafood may be found at grocery stores in the future.
These innovations can help cut down the amount of waste in our oceans, protect marine life, and feed millions of people around the world.
Viewers of this video were thrilled, praising the fishermen for their act of kindness.
"If only there were more people like you guys!" one commenter said.
Others brought up the reality at hand: Oceanic ecosystems need protection from the industries and pollutants that threaten the lives of marine species.
"It's interesting how so many of these 'kind people rescue wild animals from...' stories are how the rescuers are rescuing the animals from something humans put there in the first place," another user wrote.
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