Milan, June 21 -- A mother sperm whale and its baby have died after becoming tangled in a fishing net in the Tyrrhenian Sea off Italy's western coast, an Italian environmental group reported Thursday.

The Marevivo group said the Italian Coast Guard had responded to the sighting and surmised that the mother, which measured 6 meters (nearly 20 feet), died while trying to free its baby. They were found 8 miles off the coast of Palmarola Island in the Lazio region. It said part of the fishing net was found in the mother whale's mouth while the baby while was completely covered by it.

"The death of these two giants of the sea is a loss for our natural heritage, but knowing that what happened is our fault makes it even more tragic," said Mare...