Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers were called for assistance after a local fisherman accidentally hooked a sea turtle at a pier near the Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park. The sea turtle, a 204-pound adult male loggerhead, swallowed a fishing hook. The Escambia County Marine Resources Turtle Program was contacted and managed to guide the turtle into calmer waters near a dock while FWC Law Enforcement headed to the pier. The loggerhead was netted from an FWC patrol boat and turned over to the marine resources program staff, who transported it to Gulfarium. Gulfarium’s rehabilitation team will remove the hook from the loggerhead’s esophagus, and the turtle is expected to make a full recovery.
“We take our role of protecting Florida’s resources very seriously,” said Captain Scott Pearce, FWC Marine Law Administrator. “Our officers understand how crucial a timely response is in supporting endangered marine animals to increase their chances of survival.”
Sea turtles face a variety of hazards, including habitat encroachment and degradation, pollution, incidental capture in commercial fisheries, and strikes by watercraft. Releasing hooked sea turtles underscores the importance of conservation and our shared responsibility to protect them for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
You can help sea turtles by reporting anyone disturbing a sea turtle or nest, as well as sea turtles that are sick, injured, entangled or dead, to the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
Author: Sowal Editor
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