Entangled giant sea turtle rescued
3d found in 3 days is freed by boaters near Minot’s Light
COHASSET -- A small fishing party that sailed from Cohasset Harbor Marina Friday morning caught more than bluefish and bass.
At about 8 a.m., just north of Minot's Ledge Light, they spotted what looked like a baby whale trapped in a lobster line. But as they closed in, they saw that it was a giant sea turtle, about 6 feet wide across its soft, leathery shell.
It was the third time a leatherback turtle was found entangled in buoy lines in Massachusetts waters in as many days, which is unusual in an area that may see only three entrapments per season, said Tony LaCasse, New England Aquarium spokesman.
Specialists are warning boaters to watch for the world's largest sea turtles, now feeding on jellyfish on their seasonal journey between Canadian, African, and Caribbean waters. Those who find trapped turtles, especially inexperienced boaters, should call the US Coast Guard immediately and stand by until help arrives, they say.
Bill Kearney, 49, of Cohasset, said his crew moved quickly to save the endangered reptile, rather than wait. ''He could have been badly injured or even died," he said.
Bobbie Aricko, 44, of Marshfield, whose husband, John, captained the boat, said the line was cutting into the turtle's flipper. ''There was this giant head, with its enormous eye looking up at us," she said. ''The poor thing was horrified."
John Aricko, a former commercial fisherman, brought the boat close, as his wife herded the couple's young niece and nephew to the back deck. Then Kearney lay on the bow, leaned into the water, and grabbed the line, while Bobbie Aricko held onto his belt. ''The turtle obviously freaked out and dived down about 10 feet," Kearney said.
The plunge yanked the line from his hand and cut his thumb, but he was able to create enough slack to free the flipper when the turtle surfaced seconds later.
That leatherback was lucky, said Bob Prescott, a turtle rescue specialist with the Massachusetts Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. ''In most cases, it doesn't work out that way."
The turtles, which weigh up to 1,300 pounds and live 50 years or more, cannot free themselves, Prescott said. Ropes can amputate flippers, causing fatal infections; the turtles will drown if they become too encumbered to swim.
A leatherback was also found tangled in a lobster trap near Provincetown on Thursday, Prescott said. On Saturday, boaters saw a trapped turtle in Nantucket Sound but were unable to free it.
Wildlife specialists believe the turtles are attracted to algae on buoy undersides, which they perceive to be jellyfish tentacles, Prescott said. Swimmers aren't likely to see the turtles, which are usually spotted in deep confluence waters where blooming plankton attract jellyfish, he said.
No one is sure why so many trapped turtles were found last week. Jellyfish could be scarce in the north, drawing the turtles to New England, Prescott said. Nesting females could be lingering here on shortened journeys northward. Or maybe conservation efforts, which began when the leatherback became an endangered species in 1970, are working, he said.
Twenty-three turtles have been reported in local waters since the end of June. Usually, between 25 and 40 are seen in a whole summer, Prescott said. With so many spotted so early, Massachusetts could see a record number this season, he said; 56 were seen in one summer about five years ago.
Rescuers freed three of the five turtles found trapped since late June, including the two last week. The other two are believed to be in Nantucket Sound and Buzzards Bay. Two turtles were found dead on Cape Cod beaches this summer -- one killed by a boat propeller and one by unknown causes, Prescott said.
Boaters who find entangled turtles should call the Coast Guard or National Marine Fisheries Services hotline at 978-585-7149. It's best to stay with the turtles so rescuers can find the animals, Prescott said. Boaters who see live turtles that are not entangled are asked to call the Massachusetts Audubon Society at 888-732-8878 to report sightings.
People should not go into the water with the turtles, Prescott said. They aren't aggressive, but they can do damage with their 6-foot-long flippers, he said.
Unlike people, turtles can hold their breath for more than an hour. ''If you get tangled with the leatherback, you're going down," he said.
