This is the heartwarming moment fishermen rescued a turtle tangled in a discarded net.

The anglers were returning from work when their boat driver spotted the sea creature floating in the sea in Phuket, Thailand.

When they moved closer to the reptile, they saw it trapped in the mesh.

Footage shows the men pulling the hapless chelonian on the watercraft on July 7. They then cut the net wrapped around its body using a knife.

After successfully removing the webbing, one of the rescuers carefully carried it and released it into the water.

The filmer said: 'The turtle was unharmed except for a few scratches.'

Ghost nets, often cut loose from fishing trawlers, are one of the biggest threats to marine life.

Thousands of animals suffer from ghost nets, as well as other debris scattered in the oceans.

UNESCO's Facts & Figures on Marine Pollution said that more than one million marine animals, including mammals, fish, sharks, turtles, and birds, are killed each year due to plastic debris in the ocean.