Hooked sea turtle

On September 2nd we found this loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta, likely drowned after being hooked on a fishing longline.

Bycatch in longlines is a relatively common source of mortality among sea turtles in the Gulf of Corinth (and elsewhere). Of 7 sea turtles found dead in this area since 2009, 3 had fishing line protruding from their mouth.

A video featuring an encounter with a hooked dead animal can be viewed HERE.

For the record, during our dolphin surveys in the Gulf of Corinth we encountered a total of 69 loggerhead sea turtles alive. One of them was entangled in a piece of trammel net and another one had ingested a hook and was dragging a long fishing line. Both were disentangled and released.

(Photos by G. Bearzi)