Rescuers warn of fishing line dangers to turtles
Patrollers on ATVs spent the summer searching the entire beach for nesting sea turtles. However, these aren’t the only turtles they keep an eye out for. Every so often, they also discover sea turtles in desperate need of help, like the ones that are entangled in fishing line and are unable to free themselves from it. At least 115 marine species are impacted by entanglement, including mammals, turtles, birds, fish and crabs. For air-breathing animals, such as the green sea turtle, entanglement can prevent them from being able to swim to the surface, causing them to drown. Fortunately for turtles, the help they need can be provided by the local sea turtle hospital, Sea Turtle Inc. One such case was discovered by ATV patroller Steve Fowler. As he was on his 64-mile search up-and-down the beach in May, he happened to come across Great Scott, a green sea turtle who is now one of Sea Turtle Inc.’s latest patients. Great Scott was found lethargic, sitting in a high tide line with an injured front flipper and tar on his shell. Sea turtles don’t come out of the water unless they’re sick, nesting or injured. So, the Sea Turtle Inc. patroller knew it wasn’t normal for the turtle to be sitting there and he immediately took Great Scott to the facility. On arrival, patients are given antibiotics, X-rays, blood tests and sometimes even CT scans when needed. Great Scott came into the facility with a variety of issues, so he’s a patient that especially needed these thorough examinations. Based on Great Scott’s weight, veterinary technicians determined the turtle was less than 5 years old. Green sea turtles like Great Scott don’t reach sexual maturity until they’re around 20 to 25 years old, so veterinary technician Nina Nahvi ruled out nesting as one of the reasons Great Scott was out of the water.
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Photo from Sea Turtle Inc.
