TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Fishers accidentally caught a 200-kilogram turtle in the Taiwan Strait near Chiayi County, the Coast Guard Administration said Tuesday.
Experts from the Ocean Conservation Administration, the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, and the local government’s Department of Agriculture concluded the animal was a protected leatherback sea turtle, per CNA. Because its injuries were minimal, it was released back into the sea.
The incident was the first case since 2018 in which a leatherback sea turtle was caught and immediately released, according to the Coast Guard. The species is among the largest turtles in the world, and because it usually lives deep below the ocean surface, it is rarely seen in the Taiwan Strait off Taiwan’s west coast, CNA reported.
The Coast Guard asked fishers who accidentally catch protected animals to call the 118 hotline. Fishers can help protect rare species and contribute to a sustainable ocean environment, the Coast Guard said.
