The 60kg loggerhead turtle slowly makes its way into the sea at Pasir Belanda Beach in Gertak Sanggul October 24, 2019. ― Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

GEORGE TOWN, Oct 24 ― The Fisheries Department has returned a 60kg loggerhead turtle that was accidentally caught in fishing nets off the southern coast of Penang into the sea after a month of rehabilitation.

The fisherman who found the endangered turtle stuck in his trawling nets in waters off Pulau Kendi on September 7 had released the marine animal initially, but brought it back to shore when he found it couldn’t swim, Penang Fisheries Department director Noraisyah Abu Bakar told reporters today.

She said the fisherman handed the turtle to the Fisheries Department, which then passed it on to the Tunku Abdul Rahman Aquarium in Batu Maung to be nursed back to health.

“We don’t usually find loggerheads in Malaysia or Penang but it could have been attracted to Pulau Kendi due to the reefs there to search for food,” Noraisyah said.

She said the species is found the the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.

She said the female turtle was not injured when it was rescued but it was probably weak and stressed from struggling to free itself from the trawling net.

“It is an endangered species so we have to take care of it and release it after it has fully rehabilitated,” she said.

She said the department will closely monitor the turtle after its release to ensure that it is strong enough to swim.

“If it is not fit to swim back, we will bring it back for rehabilitation,” she said.

She called on all fishermen and anglers to report to the Fisheries Department if they find more turtles trapped in nets.

She added that plastic in the sea remained the biggest threat to turtles.

The loggerhead turtle is believed to be the world’s largest hard-shelled turtle.

The turtle is listed as “vulnerable” under the Red list of threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.