Hawksbill turtle caught in fish pot drowns

Drowned hawksbill turtle

(CNS): A juvenile hawksbill turtle drowned on Wednesday after it became entangled in a rope attached to an old, abandoned fish pot in Grand Cayman’s North Sound. The Department of Environment posted images of the endangered young turtle and the cause of its demise on social media and urged people to report any unlicensed or abandoned fish pot they spot in the water as they are one more of the many risks marine creatures face in the increasingly litter-filled oceans. The DoE said it regulates the use of fish pots in Cayman Islands waters and they cannot be used in marine protected areas and must be licensed and tagged if they are used anywhere.

“In this case, the fish pot appeared to be both unlicensed and abandoned,” the DoE said in the social media post. “It was also found in a marine protected area, which is unlawful.”

The hawksbill turtle was once the most sought-after species because of its heart-shaped, mottled brown, yellow and black shell. Now it is a popular subject for underwater photographers, but like all other sea turtles the endangered species faces myriad threats. Just last month conservation officers from the DoE were alerted to another juvenile hawksbill that had been entangled in discarded fishing line in the Rum Point channel.

Discarded fishing line, plastic bags, rings from can drinks and other debris discarded in the ocean, along with the threat of warming oceans and over development, continue to put pressure on all turtles. While the hawksbill turtle can been seen in local waters, there are now few nests on local beaches of this species.