Fisherman rescues sea turtle stuck in nets in southern Thailand

Fisherman rescues sea turtle stuck in nets in southern Thailand

A fisherman rescued an endangered sea turtle stuck in nets in southern Thailand.

Charis Harnthalae, 35, saw the struggling hawksbill turtle while he was sailing to catch fish off the coast of Koh Lipe Island in Satun province on June 17.

The creature was unable to wriggle out of a discarded fishing net while desperately trying to keep its head on the surface of the water to breathe.

The fisherman scooped up the turtle from the water and cut the net tangled around its body using a knife before releasing it back to the sea.

He said: ‘I first saw the fishing net floating around my boat while I was fishing off the coast of the island.

I then noticed something moving between the nets and found the animal.

‘The turtle could not swim properly and I thought it would drown if I did not rescue it.

I was relieved when it appeared fine after I cut the net.’ He added that locals and other fishermen should be careful with their trash so it does not end up in the sea and harm the animals.

He said: ‘I hope the locals and the fishermen would cooperate and not throw their trash into the water to preserve the animals and their home.’ The hawksbill turtle was listed by the nongovernment organisation International Union for Conservation of Nature as critically endangered due to hunting of eggs, loss of nesting and coral reef foraging habitat, incidental capture in fisheries, and marine and oil pollution.