Fishermen rescued an injured giant stingray by using a crane to haul it ashore from their boat.

Locals spotted the lethargic leviathan flailing in the after around Bandon Bay in Surat Thani, southern Thailand, on November 30.

Footage shows the 200 lbs (90 kg) beast while it was covered in blood and tangled in fishnets, being hoisted by the winch attached to the watercraft.

Sira Luekhum said: 'The stingray was tangled in the fishing net from a local fisherman. By the time it was caught, it was already injured.'

Locals battled to treat the stingray by removing the nets but it succumbed to its injuries shortly after.

Ghost nets—often discarded by fishing trawlers—are one of the biggest threats to marine life.

Strong ocean currents can carry ghost nets over long distances, eventually washing them ashore. Severe weather events can also dislodge ghost nets from the seabed or fishing vessels, causing them to drift and ultimately beach.

According to UNESCO's Facts & Figures on Marine Pollution, more than one million marine animals—including mammals, fish, sharks, turtles, and birds—are killed each year due to plastic debris in the ocean. These animals can become entangled in meshes, leading to suffocation, starvation, injury, and death.

Ghost nets also damage delicate marine ecosystems like coral reefs and seagrass beds as they destroy these habitats, preventing the growth of new life.

A 2018 report published in Scientific Reports concluded that ghost nets account for at least 46 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. An estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year. It is projected that by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean.

Lorin Hancock from the World Wildlife Fund said: 'Those abandoned fishing lines and nets that break down never truly go away; they just become smaller pieces of plastic.

'Marine animals mistake this microplastic for food and eat it, which can harm their internal organs, prevent proper feeding, and expose them to toxic chemicals.'