Turtle trapped in fish pot feared dead

Turtle trapped in fish pot (Photo courtesy of DoE)

(CNS): The Department of Environment is urging the fishing community not to abandon fish pots because they present a hazard to all marine life long after they are discarded. Officials from the DoE said that two visitors found a juvenile turtle trapped in an old fish pot near the Hyatt canal recently, and while they managed to free it, the DoE’s marine scientists believe, from the footage they were shown, that it was already dead. All fish pots used in Cayman waters must be licensed, approved by the DoE and properly managed. People using illegal fish pots can face stiff penalties, including a 4-year jail term or as much as a $500,000 fine.

DoE Chief Conservation Officer Mark Orr said that this particular fish pot may have killed countless other turtles as well as the one found by the visitors.

“It’s easier for something like a turtle or another animal such as small sharks to get inside of those types of pots, whereas if you have licences and you build it to the requirements, more than likely it won’t happen,” Orr told Cayman 27 last week.

However, in better news for turtles, Ebb, a juvenile green turtle that was found floating off Crystal Harbour, weak and sick, in November last year, suffering from blindness in one eye, nerve damage on the side of his head and other medical problems, has been nursed back to health.

Ebb was given antibiotic and anti-parasitic medication under the care of DoE scientists and veterinarians from Cayman Turtle Centre, Island Veterinary Services, and St Matthews University. With the help of volunteers, the turtle had slowly recovered before it was returned to the sea by volunteers and DoE staff in South Sound on Friday.