The management board of the Ly Son Marine Protected Area in the central province of Quang Ngai on May 5 provided treatment for an endangered sea turtle found with injuries to both front flippers after becoming entangled in a ghost net.

Ghost nets, abandoned fishing gear left drifting at sea, not only contribute to marine debris but also pose a serious threat to ocean life.

At around 5:30 a.m., fisherman Ngo Van Minh from Tay An Vinh Village, Ly Son Island District, spotted a distressed creature struggling beneath the surface while returning from a fishing trip. He approached and found a sea turtle trapped in a ghost net. Minh lifted the animal onto his canoe and removed the entanglement.

Upon discovering injuries to the turtle’s front flippers, he immediately contacted the Ly Son Marine Protected Area’s rescue team for assistance.

The turtle was identified as a juvenile green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), a species listed as endangered in Vietnam’s Red Data Book. It weighs about 12 kilograms. The turtle is now under care and rehabilitation and will be released back into the ocean once it fully recovers.

Rare green sea turtle released in Quang Tri

A rare green sea turtle, weighing nearly 20 kilograms, was successfully rescued and released back into the ocean by the Con Co Island Marine Reserve Management Board on November 19.