Locals stepped in
But after pressure from journalists and hundreds of locals who turned out to protest, plans to shoot the three-year-old seal were dropped.
Salty, also known as Andre, has become a popular tourist attraction since he first appeared in Loch Lomond a year ago.
Salty's stuck
Although he escaped the death sentence, Salty is now stranded in shallow water after trying to make his way back to the sea.
Thirty marine rescue experts have lowered a massive, weighted net into the river bed which stretches out to either shore, in an attempt to stop the seal escaping.
When captured, he will be transported to Fife, where he will be released among a colony of other grey seals.
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