Police in Northern Ireland have set up a 300-metre exclusion zone around a whale that is trapped in shallow water off the Co Antrim coast.
A PSNI spokesman said any boat entering the area will be "causing an offence and will come to the attention of the police".
The nine-metre Minke whale has been stranded for over two days in Larne harbour. Thought to be injured, it was originally spotted in the shallow water at around 7am on Tuesday.
Yesterday afternoon, a rescue boat managed to lead the whale out to open sea, but it soon returned to the lough.
Rescuers believed the mammal is confused and disorientated. It is swimming in small circles, which experts say is a sign of confusion.
A team from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group will resume its attempt to rescue the whale this morning.
