HPA STRP Responds to a turtle with fishing line
STRP Co-Director Laura Jim received a call from a concerned family vacationing at Puako reporting that there was a small honu that had a fishing hook and bobber tangled around its flippers. The first day they called the honu left the area before we could get there. A couple of days later, Laura got a call indicating that the same honu was back in the area Laura Sprung into action, gathered equipment and made her way down to the site. The reporters were there watching the honu but as Laura approached the honu began swimming away… Not to be denied, Laura dove into the water and was able to capture the poor little honu.
It was placed into an animal carried and the line was removed. The hook was embedded in the right shoulder and, after a bit of work, we were able extract the hook. Measurements were taken and a PIT tag was placed in the left hind flipper. The reporting team and several interested neighbors helped to release the little honu at 1130 and it swam off vigorously…. free of the hook and fishing line.
