Another 9 meters of fishing net found in dead leatherback turtle: OCA

Kaohsiung, March 18 (CNA) An autopsy has found that a 280-kilogram leatherback turtle that died following surgery Monday had nine meters of fishing net in its digestive tract and showed conditions consistent with an internal obstruction.

In a statement, the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) said veterinary surgeons found partial gastric mucosal necrosis in the female turtle, suggesting possible intestinal obstruction, as well as significant kidney abnormalities during the autopsy conducted Tuesday.

The surgeons extracted a nine-meter-long wad of fishing net from the turtle's stomach as they searched for the cause of death. This was in addition to a 1.6-meter section of net pulled from the turtle's digestive tract during Monday's surgery.

The exact cause of death will be determined following a pathology report, the OCA said.

The turtle was discovered by a fisherman on Saturday morning, bleeding from the mouth and entangled in a net, and was sent to Keelung for treatment. It had a curved carapace length of 148 centimeters and was estimated to be 25 to 30 years old.

Veterinary surgeons performed endoscopic surgery Monday evening, removing a 160-centimeter section of net from the turtle's digestive tract.

Although the animal initially appeared stable after the procedure, its condition deteriorated rapidly, and it was pronounced dead at around 11 p.m.

Asked why the nine-meter-long fishing net was not discovered during the operation, an OCA spokesperson suggested to CNA that it was because the net was tightly tangled inside the turtle's stomach and not easy to detect.

In the wake of the turtle's death, the OCA pledged to strengthen inter-agency cooperation and raise public awareness of reporting mechanisms to enable faster, more effective rescue efforts, improve survival rates, and protect marine biodiversity.

Leatherback turtles are the world's largest sea turtles and are listed as an endangered species in Taiwan.