"Tightly Entangled in Web-like Nets"...Endangered Loggerhead Sea Turtle Rescued in Jeju

Seogwipo Coast Guard Releases Turtle Back Into the Sea After Rescue

Jeju Seogwipo Coast Guard Station has rescued a loggerhead sea turtle, an endangered species, that was entangled in a fishing net.

Rescue of a red sea turtle entangled in a discarded fishing net. Seogwipo Coast Guard Station

On July 19, the Seogwipo Coast Guard reported that at approximately 5:12 p.m. the previous day, they received a report that a sea turtle was trapped and unable to move, caught in a fishing net on the rocks near Saeyeon Bridge in Seogwipo. The Seogwipo Police Substation Coastal Rescue Boat and land patrol team, dispatched to the scene, found a loggerhead sea turtle isolated and tightly ensnared in web-like discarded netting, measuring about 1.5 meters long and 1 meter wide, within about 20 minutes of their arrival.

The rescue team immediately began to remove the net. By around 6:00 p.m., they had completely removed it, and after confirming there were no signs of injury or other health issues, the turtle was released back into the sea. It was reported that the turtle swam safely back into the water. Typically, if a live sea turtle dives immediately upon release into the sea, it is deemed healthy, while failure to dive may indicate health problems.

The discarded net that had enveloped the turtle will be collected and disposed of by Seogwipo City.

A Coast Guard official stated, "Recently, there has been a continuous increase in the number of marine protected species suffering or having their lives threatened by marine debris," urging the public to join efforts in preserving a clean marine environment. The official also advised that, as in this case, if you encounter marine protected species suffering or at risk due to marine debris, you should report it immediately to the authorities rather than attempting a rescue yourself, as attempting to help could result in secondary harm.

Meanwhile, out of the seven sea turtle species found worldwide, only five species have been recorded in Korean waters. Loggerhead turtles have an especially high ecological conservation value, as there have been only four observed instances of loggerhead nesting in Korea since a record off the coast of Haeundae, Busan, in the 1960s—each observed on Jeju Island. Among the seven sea turtle species, the loggerhead is the second largest, after the leatherback turtle. Loggerheads almost never come ashore except during the nesting season. Of all sea turtle species, loggerheads have the broadest range, inhabiting not only the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans but also the Mediterranean Sea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.