Sunday, August 12, 2007
A Leatherback Turtle was Rescued off BOPEC Oil Terminal by the Crew of the Indusbank
On Wednesday, August 8, 2007, at approximately 5:00 pm, Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB) Manager, Mabel Nava, received an emergency call from the Bonaire National Marine Park (BNMP) that there was a sea turtle entangled in a home-made longline with floats and hooks up by the BOPEC oil terminal.
The tugboat Indusbank was on duty off the oil terminal when it spotted a leatherback turtle. Recognizing that it was in distress and needed immediate assistance, Captain Willy Meye and his crew were able to get a rope around the turtle. Working from a platform from the side of the tugboat, the crew cut off much of the line and a number of floats that encircled the turtle. Realizing that additional assistance was need, oil terminal supervisor, Jan Emerenciana was contacted and he, in turn, called Din Domacasse, Chief Ranger of the BNMP.
With time being an issue and sunset not all that far off, Mabel, working with Duvan Rios, BNMP Ranger, quickly responded to the call. With support from Ramon de Leon, the marine park’s manager and Carlos Rodriguez, the operations manager at Harbor Village Marina, a marine park boat was rapidly fueled and equipped . Accompanied by Andy Uhr, acting STCB President, Mabel and Duvan were on the water and headed north at 5:45 pm.
When the team reached the Indusbank, the rope securing the turtle was quickly passed to the marine park boat. In spite of the Indusbank’s work, the turtle still had significant amounts of twisted nylon line wrapped around her, with the line having cut deeply into and around each of her front flippers and the back of her neck.
Efforts to remove the remaining line while working from the marine park boat proved to be less than successful. Mabel, donning a mask and fins, went over the side to work in the water. With two sets of hands from the boat steadying the leatherback, Mabel removed the remainder of the line and floats. Sea turtles are tough and resilient animals and attempting to bring them in for veterinary treatment presents a greater potential for harming the animal so the leatherback was released. While seriously injured she swam away into the deep blue using a steady and strong stroke, giving the team encouragement that she would survive her ordeal.
This rescue was made possible by the quick and positive actions of Captain Willy Meye and the crew of the Indusbank, Francis Verginie, Leopoldo Clarenda and Florenso Thode. STCB extends its thanks to them and everyone else involved in the effort.
The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the biggest of all living turtles, reaching a length of over 2.7 m (8.8 ft) and weight of 900 kg (2,000 lb) and is listed by international authorities as critically endangered. The leatherback is found worldwide in all oceans. Our leatherback was quite small, measuring an estimated 1 m (3 ft) across the carapace and weighting over 100 kg (220 lb). Leatherbacks are occasional visitors to Bonaire and are usually seen passing through on their way to destinations unknown.
Longline fishing is illegal on Bonaire and to our knowledge not practiced here. But the practice is common along the coast of South America and it is thought that is where the leatherback became entangled. This the second such incident this year. In April, the remains of a hawksbill turtle ensnared by a similar fishing rig were recovered from a dive site at the southern end of the island.
Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire exists to ensure the protection and recovery of Bonaire’s sea turtle populations throughout their range. Founded in 1992, the STCB is a Bonaire-based, non-governmental and non-profit organization, part of the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network. (Source: STCB)
