On May 20, a fisherman accidentally hooked a sea turtle from a fishing pier in Emerald Isle, North Carolina. Once he realized what he had at the end of his line, he called the local Emerald Isle Sea Turtle Patrol for help.
“Thank you to the fishermen, Jeshua Rios, [who] accidentally hooked a Kemp’s ridley on the Bogue Inlet Pier yesterday, for reporting it and waiting for help,” the Emerald Isle Sea Turtle Patrol posted to Facebook on May 21.
“Nest Response Team’s Laurie Conrad and Neva Tucker responded,” the organization added. “The hook was removed without injury to the turtle … Laurie and Neva released the turtle from the beach.”
The call came just 9 days after another Kemp’s ridley had been hooked at the same fishing pier. Unfortunately, that sea turtle was found deceased prior to Emerald Isle Sea Turtle Patrol's arrival.
“This is very sad to see, and a stark reminder of the importance of proper disposal of fishing line,” the organization shared in a Facebook post. “Thank you to everyone that helped with the recovery of this turtle.”
Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are the smallest and most endangered sea turtle species in the world — a fact which underscores the importance of every rescue mission.
The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle has been protected under the Endangered Species Act since 1970. Thanks to ambitious recovery efforts launched in 1978 in coordination with Mexico, conservationists have been able to bring them back from the brink of extinction.
“Saving the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is one of the greatest ESA success stories of our time,” Mary Kay Skoruppa, the Service’s Sea Turtle Coordinator for Texas, told the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“While continued efforts are needed to fully recover the species, actions undertaken for the species in the last 50 years are paying off, and we are seeing increased numbers of Kemp’s ridley sea turtles nesting in the U.S. and Mexico.”
One of the survival plans for Kemp’s ridley sea turtles involves organizing patrols on nesting beaches in Mexico, Florida, and Texas to find, count, and protect vulnerable nests from predators, poaching, and human interference.
“One of the things that’s very rewarding to me and to everybody that works hard in the nest protection program and recovering Kemp’s ridley sea turtles is seeing the public’s reaction and the public support,” Skoruppa said. “People have it on their bucket list and come from all over the country and internationally to see the hatchlings released.”
In addition to nest monitoring, Skoruppa is well aware that every single rescue effort — like the one in Emerald Isle — is vital to species recovery.
“When you hold a sea turtle and release it back into the water, it really is a special feeling,” Skoruppa said. “Even though it's just one turtle, you’ve given it a second chance of survival, and this species needs every individual to survive.”
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Header image via Emerald Isle Sea Turtle Patrol
