State wildlife officers rescue sea turtle off the Florida Keys
.jpeg "A loggerhead sea turtle is tangled in a lobster trap line in the Florida Bay waters off Islamorada in the Florida Keys Friday, Nov. 11, 2022.")
Two state wildlife officers rescued a distressed sea turtle off the Florida Keys late last week.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Investigator Paige Pestka and Officer Daniel Marshall were patrolling the bayside waters off Founders Park in the Upper Keys Village of Islamorada Friday when they noticed an animal struggling on the surface of the water.
When they pulled their patrol boat up beside the animal, they discovered it was a large loggerhead sea turtle that was entangled in commercial lobster trap line, said FWC Officer Jason Rafter, a spokesman for the agency.
“The turtle submerged multiple times entangled in the line and buoy. Officers waited for the turtle to surface close enough to the patrol vessel so they could use a boat hook to grab the line,” Rafter said.
The turtle came up for air, allowing Pestka to grab the line, and the two officers unraveled it, setting the turtle free, Rafter said.
The officers estimate the turtle is a 200-pound female.
