This is the heartwarming moment a group of fishermen rescue a sea turtle which was caught in a fishing net.

The footage, captured off the coast of Ecuador, shows a man cutting the turtle free from the net.

A relative of the fishermen later wrote online: ''My father and my uncle were out ocean fishing.

''They had seen the turtle tangled in the line while they were returning to port.

''My uncle Ted Bautista cut away the rope and net around the turtle before returning him to the ocean.

''Ted was visiting from the United States at the time and has always loved animals so he felt compelled to stop and help.''

The clip was filmed in November 2017.

My father and my uncle were out ocean fishing. They had seen the turtle tangled in the line while they were returning to port. You can see my uncle (Ted Bautista) cutting away the rope and netting around the turtle before returning him to the ocean. Ted was visiting from the Unites States at the time and has always loved animals so he felt compelled to stop and help.