Fishing hook found in juvenile green sea turtle airway (Image courtesy of Aquaplanet Jeju/KBS)
JEJU, Feb. 9 (Korea Bizwire) –A young green sea turtle found off the coast of Jeju Island succumbed to its injuries three days after being rescued, its body pierced by a fishing line.
A hook the size of a coin was lodged in its throat, and over a meter of fishing line was discovered tangled inside its intestines, highlighting the lethal threat discarded fishing gear poses to marine life.
According to KBS, an autopsy revealed that a hook roughly the size of a coin was caught in the turtle’s windpipe, and a fishing line measuring 115 centimeters had made its way through the intestines and out of the anus.
A green sea turtle found off the coast of Jeju Island before it died in agony after swallowing a fishing line. (Image from KBS)
A sea turtle’s esophagus is lined with sharp projections pointing in one direction, making it difficult for the creature to expel or vomit anything that has been swallowed.
Hong Won-hee, a veterinarian at Aqua Planet Jeju, explained, “It appears that most of the intestines necrotized as the fishing line exiting through the anus caused the intestines to twist and block blood vessels.
There were also signs of intestinal rupture in some areas.” The young turtle endured tremendous pain from the tearing of its intestines before its death.
Meanwhile, the Dolphin Research Team at Jeju National University reports that over the past three years, more than 100 sea turtles in need of rescue have been found in the waters around Jeju.
Of these, approximately 10 have been transported to Aqua Planet for treatment, most suffering from injuries caused by entanglement in fishing lines and nets.
An activist from a civic group urged, “Considering those not found by rescue teams or those that die underwater, countless marine creatures are losing their lives. We plead with the public not to dispose of trash in the ocean and to properly retrieve fishing gear.”
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
