The Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) Marine Animal Entanglement Response (MAER) team disentangled a leatherback sea turtle Wednesday, July 9, in Cape Cod Bay. The relatively young turtle had become entangled in fishing gear and dragged the fishing gear into three other gear sets and was struggling to make it to the surface to breathe. Despite poor sea conditions and heavy rain, the MAER team was able to free the turtle.
In the early afternoon Wednesday the MAER team received a call on its hotline (1-800-900-3622) regarding an entangled sea turtle from recreational boaters who were fishing off Sesuit Harbor, in Cape Cod Bay. The team urged the boaters to stay with the turtle at a safe distance while it responded from Provincetown. Strong east winds and driving rain slowed the response time slightly but the recreational mariners stayed with the turtle until the team arrived. The team found a relatively small, healthy leatherback, around 500 pounds, caught in multiple sets of pot gear. Using a specialized grappling hook, the team caught the entangling gear and spent time carefully unwrapping the entangling rope. A small, likely recreational, fishing hook and monofilament line lodged in its shoulder were also dealt with.
Many thanks go to the recreational boaters for their diligence and patience in this case. All mariners are urged to keep an eye out for any entangled animals at sea and report them to the CCS hotline, the National Marine Fisheries hotline (1-866-755-6622) or the US Coast Guard on channel 16. Please stay within sight of the animal at a safe distance until responders arrive.
CCS disentanglement work is supported in part by grants from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA-DMF), the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, and private foundations and donors. All disentanglement activities are conducted under a federal permit authorized by NOAA.
Photo: Center for Coastal Studies