Stunted whale fish

Scientists stumbled upon a group of sperm whales who stole cod fish from fishing nets of fishermen off Alaska, USA.

Two cod fish caught in the hook.Photo: National Geographic .

At a depth of about 100 m, the giant animals jerked one end of the net to free the delicious cod from the other end. This behavior - like someone shaking a tree for apples - is recorded by cameras attached to the net. Scientists have never witnessed similar actions so far because sperm whales often hunt at depths of up to 2,000 m - where video recording devices become useless by darkness.

Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (USA) have attached cameras and recorders to the fishing net to learn the correlation between the size of sperm whales and the sound they emit. So the fact that they saw them stealing fish was a complete discovery.

'When a sperm whale came into the frame, I felt like my heart was beating. We have been waiting for that moment for many years , 'said Aarone Thode, a member of the research team.

The sperm whale bites the net lightly and shakes.After a few shakes, a cod fish slipped out of the hook.Photo: National Geographic.

Although possessing huge brains, sperm whales are not species capable of performing clever movements. Therefore, the fact that they snatched fishing nets to release fish is the most reasonable solution.

Thode said, the sperm whales emit clicks. The magnitude of the sound increases as they approach the net. He confirmed that no animal has produced such a loud sound at a depth of 100 m.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography's discovery made the US Marine Fisheries Conservation Agency plan to bring cameras and recorders in cod surveys to detect "stealing" behavior of sperm whales. Collection of behavioral data on sperm whales can help fishermen minimize losses when fishing at sea. Thode said that if scientists do not find a way to cope with this situation, the capture of fish between fishermen and sperm whales will continue as the number of cod is decreasing.