ARCHIVED - Rescuers save endangered loggerhead turtle trapped in illegal fishing gear in Alicante

The Caretta species had become entangled in a line of plastic bottles used to mark illegal fishing gear near Tabarca Island on the Costa Blanca

An endangered loggerhead turtle has been saved from certain death after being freed from a line of plastic bottles used to mark illegal fishing gear near Tabarca Island in Alicante.

A Guardia Civil Maritime Service boat carrying out surveillance work in the area found the distressed turtle on Sunday July 24 and managed to release the Caretta species, which is now recovering at the Oceanogràfic Foundation's facilities in Valencia so that it can be released into the wild once again.

At around 4.30pm, the rescuers noticed two plastic bottles floating on the surface of the water attached to a line of plastic thread, and quickly noticed the submerged turtle with one of its flippers caught up in the illegal fishing buoy, preventing it from swimming and feeding.

Holding the creature by its shell so as not to damage its limbs, they lifted the loggerhead onto the boat and managed to free it from the line. 

Guardia Civil officers receive regularly training from different marine organisations that work with these animals to learn exactly what to in these situations, and members of the public are urged not to try to release a turtle if they come across one entangled in fishing gear.

Also read: Faecal contamination forces closure of another Alicante beach on the Costa Blanca

Instead, they should call 112 immediately and if possible get the turtle to the nearest port without overcrowding the animal and try to keep it hydrated.

Specialists will then transfer the turtle to a recovery centre where it will be freed from any rope or debris, its condition will be assessed and wherever possible, given the appropriate treatment.

Loggerhead turtles inhabit the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea. They are classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). International trade in this particular species is considered illegal.

Many human activities have negative effects on loggerhead turtle populations, but discarded or illegal fishing gear are the species' biggest threat. They often become entangled and suffer injuries that can be serious and even lead to drowning.

On Tuesday, a female turtle, with a shell measuring 78 by 71 inches, was spotted half buried in the sand at Ortigues Beach in Guardamar del Segura after having laid 130 eggs, the largest number of all the nests registered in the Valencian Region in recent years.

Thirty-one of them have been transferred to the Oceanográfico where they will be incubated in the hope as many will hatch as possible, whilst the other 99 have been transferred to El Saler beach.

Image: Guardia Civil