A fishing crew near Prince of Wales Island recently made an unusual catch that caught the attention of marine biologists.
The seiner crew was setting their net south of Prince of Wales Island on Aug. 5 when they noticed a small sea turtle swimming near the boat. To keep the animal from getting caught in the net, crew member Ben Dolph reached over and pulled it from the water.
“We were just pursing up when I looked over and saw the turtle in there. And it was coming up and I pulled it out so it wouldn’t get hung up in there. Basically so it wouldn’t drown.”
Dolph says the turtle — which he guessed weighed about 50 pounds — hissed at him as he picked it up. Later, a crewmember sent photos of the turtle to a relative who is a biologist. It turned out to be a Pacific green sea turtle, a federally protected species.
Barbara Mahoney, a biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Anchorage, says turtles are cold-blooded and usually prefer warmer water. So it’s rare to encounter one in Southeast Alaska.
“Their northernmost waters would be California going into the Washington area. But some turtles get caught in the current.”
Mahoney conferred with fellow biologists and confirmed it was an east Pacific green turtle, also known as a black turtle. She says they nest in Mexico, Costa Rica and the Galapagos. Mahoney says it’s hard to determine, but this turtle likely came from Mexico.
Mahoney said that people need authorization to handle or move green sea turtles because they’re listed under the Endangered Species Act, and the NMFS should have been contacted as well. But the fishing crew seemed well-intentioned.
“It would have been good if they contacted NMFS after the fact as well to explain their operation or their process of what they did and why they did it,” she said.
Dolph and fellow crew member Jes Boyd say they reported details about the incident, including the location, to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
After finishing the set, Boyd says they moved out of the area to release the turtle in safer waters.
“The tide was heading south so we went south of where all of the fishing boats were and released him there.”
Both Boyd and Dolph say they’ve caught many unusual things while fishing, including barrels, objects from Japan and even a vacuum cleaner. But this was the first time either has encountered a turtle.
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website, there have been just 15 green sea turtle sightings reported in Alaska since 1960.
Boyd even took a video of the turtle’s release.
“(Tell him where to go)…Hey buddy. I want you to go be free…Oh he’s swimming off like nothing happened…(He’s swimming now?) Oh yea, like nothing…’bye Dory.”
Both Boyd and Dolph say seeing the turtle was shocking and amazing — something they’ll never forget.
