A rare, endangered leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) was accidentally entangled in the fishing nets at Mutyalammapalem under Parawada mandal on Saturday. The turtle that was seven-foot-long, weighing 200 kgs, was later safely released under the supervision of RVD Prabhakar, technical officer of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. The leatherback sea turtle, sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle, is the largest of all living turtles and is the fourth-heaviest modern reptile. They have nesting zones in Sri Lanka and Nicobar islands and are a rare occurrence in the Indian coast. The fishermen of the colony said this was the first time in the region when a leatherback turtle was spotted. The locals of Mutyalammapalem and surrounding areas thronged the beach to get a glimpse of the massive rare turtle.
According to reports, fishermen M. Sagar along with his team found the live turtle enmeshed in the net, following which the officials of CMFRI were alerted. Mr. Prabhakar visited the spot and identified the rare turtle species which was released it into the sea. He lauded the efforts of the local fishermen and their awareness for protecting the marine bio-diversity.
