Injured Hawksbill

 11/2/2021

We received information that folks at Ocean Sports had recovered a small hawksbill turtle with fishing line down its throat and entangling its flippers.  They were able to recover the little turtle and remove the line from the exterior but the line going down the throat was presumable attached to a hook deep in the esophagus.  We recovered the turtle and kept it overnight having arranged to ship it to Honolulu to get it veterinary care.

It was reported by NOAA that the hook was removed and the turtle was recovering well.  They will release it on Oahu.  

All in all, a good ending to the story!!!

 

Below are some photos of the little critter:

 

Note the fishing line coming out of the rear of the jaw hinge.

Injured Hawksbill Turtle Rescued

 8/31/2021

Our rescue line received a call  from DOCARE at 1900 hours Saturday telling us that a dive boat had picked up a turtle with a hook and line attached.

We didn't know much more so decided to go down to the Puako boaat launch ramp and met the DOCARE officer there to take a look at it.  The turtle had been brought to shore by Adventure X dive company.  The turtle turned out to be a juvenile hawksbill turtle with a wire leader coming out of the mouth.  I used a speculum to look into the mouth but was unable to see a hook.  I told the DOCARE Officer that I would keep it overnight an seek advice from the NOAA Marine Turtle Biology and Assessment Program scientists and veterinarians..  

 

The animal appeared to be in relatively good condition and had been seen with the hook over a period of time.. perhaps weeks. The honu'ea was kept in an animal carrier overnight with the hopes that we could ship it to Honolulu on Sunday... Unfortunately, it iws impossible to get it shipped on Sunday so we kept it safe for another day and were able to take it to the Kona Airport to be shipped to HNL on Monday at 1330 h.  

The turtle was received by the stranding folks in HNL and was taken to the animal hospital for xrays to determine whaat had been swallowed.  It turns our that this litttle guy had taken bait from fishermen several times in the past and had several small hooks caught in its digestive track.  The latest one was the large circle hook with the wire leader attached.

The big hook was surgically removed and some of the smaller hooks were removed also.  There is still a hook that was too deep to get at and the lpe is that it will work its way out on its own.

Tha animal is in rehab with the hope that it will recover quickly from its surgery.

species:  Ei

Date/time:  7/31/21 at 1930 h

Curved Carapace Length = 56 cm

Location:  Puako Launch Ramp

 19.974048° N

155.831403° W

Images of the turtle and xray images showing hooks that this hawksbill has ingested.

 

 7/31/2021

HAWKSBILL SWALLOWS ULUA HOOK

We will be sending this poor hawksbill turtle to Honolulu so that NOAA vets can evaluate the possiblity

of removing the hook and wire leader.

Call came in from DOCARE at 1900 hour that a dive boat had picked up a turtle with a hook and line attached.

I went down to Puako Launch Ramp and met the DOCARE officer there to take a look at it.

It turned out to be a juvenile hawksbill turtle with a wire leader coming out of the mouth.  I used a speculum to look into the mouth but was unable to see a hook.  I told the DOCARE Officer that I would keep it overnight and seek advice from you folks.  

I will not be able to extract the hook as it appears to be quite deep in the throat.  The animal appears to be in relatively good shape and has been seen with the hook over a period of time.. perhaps weeks by local divers.

species:  Eretmochelys imbricata

CCL = 56 cm

Location:  Puako Launch Ramp

 19.974048° N

155.831403° W

Animal is alive and uninjured except for the hook.

Imaged attached

Juvenile hawksbill with wire fishing leader coming out of the mouth.

Left side of hawksbill's head

Undoubtedly, the other end of the wire leader ends attached to a large "ulua" hook.

Hooked Hawksbill Appears to be Doing Well

 2/8/21

The adult male hawksbill turtle that we removed a hook from on 1/4/21 appears to be doing well and has been observed in the same area where it was captured on serveral occasions.  Some pictures that were shared with us by divers are shown below.  You can see the number etched into the second lateral scute for identification purposes has served its purpose-- allowing people who observe this animal to identify it.

HA120 on Feb. 6, 2021.  

HA210'S left side where the hook was embedded... see below.

This picture was of HA120 when it had the large circle hook embedded in its lower left jaw.

Helping A Hawksbill in Trouble

1/4/2021

Marc Hughes, a dive master operating out of Kona, observed a male hawksbill with a large circle hook caught in its left Jaw.  It was obviously in pain and irritated by the large hook that was embedded in its jaw.  Marc Hughes contacted Doug Perrine and, in turn, the message got to us at the Hawaii Preparatory Academy Sea Turtle Rescue Hotline.   

In the image above, taken by Marc Hughes, you can see the large hook in the lower left jaw of the adult male hawksbill.

In talking with Irene Kelly, Sea Turtle Recovery Coordinator at NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheris Science Center, we made a decision to try and capture the hawksbill and remove the hook.  On Saturday 1/09/2021, We launched two boats out of Honokohau Harbor (2 boats were used in order to maintain social distance between the two dive groups) and proceeded to the dive site just north of the harbor where the turtle had been seen.

We made our dive at ~0900 h and circled around the area where the hawksbill had been observed in the past (both when it was hooked and before).  The visibility was good and we were able to keep about 30-40 feet apart in order to cover the maximum area possible.  We saw one sleeping honu but no hawksbills..... until 44 minutes into the dive when we were running low on air.  After a couple of attempts, Laura and Marc were able to capture the hawksbill and bring it toward the surface at 1000 h.  With the help of the rest of the dive team and Thomas, we were able to get the turtle into the boat and begin working to remove the hook.  It took about 15 minutes to work it loose and remove it from the jaw.  While there was some damage to the tongue, it was on the left edge and did not appear to serious.

After the hook was removed, the turtle was measured, PIT tagged and marked with the designation "HA120" so that divers could monitor its recovery over the next few months.  At 1030 hours, the Hawksbill was released and it swam vigorously away.  We hope that it will make a full recovery from the hook injury and continue to live safely in the waters off of Kaloko-Honokohau.  

Below are a few pictures of the hook we removed, the beautiful hawksbill & the dive team.

 

Large circle hook that was embedded in the lower left jaw of the hawksbill.

Marc Rice etches a number in the carapace so that divers can identify this particular turtle for a couple of months to report on its recovery from the hook.

Number etching on second right lateral scute- "HA120".

Left side of hawksbill showing the facial scale pattern.

Right side of hawksbill showing the facial scale pattern.

Dorsal surface of head.

Dive Team:  Thomas, Marc, Doug & Laura