500-kg leatherback turtle entangled by fisherman’s net in Camarines Sur

A 500-kilo leatherback turtle was accidentally trapped in a fisherman’s net and stranded in Balatan, Camarines Sur. Photos by Ryan Cediño, National Stock Assessment Program enumerator for BFAR.

GUINOBATAN, Albay — A 500-kilogram leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coricea) was accidentally entangled in a fisherman’s net Thursday morning in Balatan town in Camarines Sur province.

Nonie Enolva, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Bicol spokesperson, said the turtle, which is listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as “vulnerable,” was reported accidentally entangled in the net owned by fisherman Alberto Pasamba around 6:30 a.m. 

Species considered “vulnerable” in the IUCN Red List are those at “high risk of extinction in the wild.” 

The stranded turtle is a female with a carapace length of 1.75 meters. 

The leatherback was the second stranded this year in Balatan, following the dead stranded turtle last July 20, which, according to veterinarians, swallowed plastics and starved to death. 

“Balatan (can be) considered a hotspot area for marine turtles due to the preponderance of sightings and strandings,” Enolva told the Inquirer. 

She said the main threats to leatherbacks in the area are ingestion of waste, net entanglement, and “intentional butchering especially if the turtles are green.”

As of Thursday morning, residents are watching over the turtle on the shores of Balatan awaiting the arrival of personnel from the Iriga City environment and natural resources office who will conduct a health check on the turtle.