500-pound sea turtle freed from fishing gear in Cape Cod Bay

Local News

An animal rescue team responded to a hotline call last Wednesday.

A leatherback sea turtle in Cape Cod Bay was freed from fishing gear last Wednesday by the Center for Coastal Studies’ Marine Animal Entanglement Response team. 

The turtle had dragged the gear it was entangled in into three other sets of fishing gear and was struggling to surface to breathe, officials from the center said in a release.

The Provincetown-based team responded to a call to its hotline from boaters who had spotted the distressed turtle while fishing off Sesuit Harbor. The response team advised the boaters to stay with the turtle — at a safe distance — until they arrived.

While the team’s response was delayed due to heavy winds and rain, the relatively small and healthy 500-pound turtle was eventually freed from the gear, officials said. “A small, likely recreational, fishing hook and monofilament line lodged in its shoulder were also dealt with,” the release notes.

Boaters can report an entangled animal to the National Marine Fisheries hotline at 1-866-755-6622 or to the U.S. Coast Guard on channel 16. Boaters should maintain a safe distance from the animal until responders arrive.