3/7/2022
1331 hours
We received a call from a family that was enjoying the beach at Puako near 92 PBR, Puako. The caller reported that there was a turtle basking that had fishing line wrapped around its neck and both flippers. I immediately gathered the necessary equipment and carrier and headed down to the area where the honu was located. By 1400 hours I was there and met up with the reporting party... they showed me the turtle and, as you can see in the first two photos below, it was very heavily entangled and securing wrapped by the fishing line... along with a lure.
The line was wrapped around the neck at least a dozen times and was beginning to cut into the flesh. The line on the right front flipper was beginning to cut through the flesh and would have undoubtedly resulted in the honu loosing its front flipper. It is also likely that it would have been strangled by the ever-tightening line around its neck.
I was able to remove all of the line and we released the honu into the water near where it was basking. It swam away vigorously and should be fine.
A special thanks to the family that was responsible and caring enough to give me a call and report this poor honu. We were able to release it from the fishing line and it should be fine... If we hadn't removed the line it most certainly would have died a long and painful death.
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| Juvenile honu with fishing line around its neck and front flippers. |
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| Close up of the line around the neck and flippers. |
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| Puako area where the turtle was found basking/stranded. |
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| The line and fishing gear that was removed from the honu. |
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