Sea Turtle trapped in “ghost” fishing nets is saved
“We thought it was dead”,said Geiner Golfín, a Cocos Island park ranger.
Original story from Teletica.com
Officials from Cocos Island National Park and researchers rescued a turtle caught in “ghost” fishing nets (see attached video). Geiner Golfín, a park ranger, confirmed that it was having trouble breathing.
They found the animal while monitoring pelagic predators (they live far from the coast) on board the FAICO II.
“We found a drifting object. At first, we thought that this object was a log. Later, when we got closer, we realized that there were drift nets, what we normally call ‘ghost fishing’. The turtle was trapped there”, explained Golfín.
“We thought it was dead. When we got closer, we realized it was alive, and that’s when we tried to release it,” he added.
Statement by Geiner Golfín, Cocos Island park ranger:
In the attached video, it is possible to see everyone’s effort to cut the nets that entangled the turtle.
In addition to the park rangers, researchers from the University of Costa Rica, the National University, and officials from the Fire Department participated.
The following images, recorded underwater, show the exact moment when the turtle was released, and it could continue its journey.
Nearly 640,000 tons of fishing gear are lost at the bottom of the oceans every year, which represents 10% of the total waste that humans deposit in the seas.
These materials, in addition to becoming entangled in the propellers of the boats, can cause interaction with endangered species (sharks, turtles, birds and marine mammals), which die when trapped.
From FAICO, we also take the opportunity to invite you to read an interesting article by Andrea Montero Cordero, about “Plastic in the sea. Do we throw our effort overboard?”
