A large leatherback sea turtle got tangled in a lobster trap line. An FWC officer found it
A large leatherback sea turtle is swimming freely thanks to the efforts of a Florida fish and wildlife officer assigned to the Florida Keys.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Pablo Ruiz was patrolling the ocean off Islamorada in the Upper Keys Wednesday when he noticed a commercial lobster trap bobbing up and down “completely submerging and reappearing again,” said FWC spokesman Officer Jason Rafter.
As Ruiz got closer, he saw a large black shape under the trap’s buoy and quickly realized what it was: a leatherback turtle that weighed about 350 pounds. The reptile’s neck and front flipper were entangled in the trap’s line.
“Officer Ruiz grabbed the line and tried, multiple times, to unravel the leatherback while it was resting at the surface without success.,” Rafter said. “The leatherback would power away from the officer making the line tighter and the situation worse.”
Ruiz was able to contact the owner of the trap by reading the registration number. The owner told him to do whatever was necessary to free the turtle.
“Officer Ruiz only had to make a few cuts of the trap line, and the leatherback was free of all entanglements,” Rafter said. “Officer Ruiz said the turtle stayed at the surface for a few moments, took a breath, submerged, and swam off.”
This story was originally published September 10, 2022 at 11:49 AM.
