This morning, December 14, at Trieu Van commune beach (Trieu Phong district, Quang Tri), the Con Co Island Marine Protected Area Management Board coordinated with Trieu Van Border Guard Station and Trieu Van Commune People's Committee to release a hawksbill turtle back into the ocean.

Releasing pineapple tortoiseshell into the ocean - Photo: TKC

Deputy Director of the Con Co Island Management Board Tran Khuong Canh said that at around 6 a.m. the same day, fishermen Le Huu Phieu, Le Huu Tay, and Nguyen Quang Hoa in Village 7 (Trieu Van Commune, Trieu Phong District) while fishing at sea discovered a hawksbill turtle weighing nearly 40 kg; with body and shell length and width of 80x60x55 cm caught in the net.

Immediately, these fishermen informed the sea turtle protection volunteers of Trieu Van commune and the Con Co Island Marine Protected Area Management Board for rescue instructions. Upon receiving the information, the Con Co Island Marine Protected Area Management Board coordinated with Trieu Van Border Guard Station and Trieu Van Commune authorities to receive, check the health and together with the fishermen, release this individual of the sea turtle back to the sea safely.

It is known that the hawksbill turtle ( Lepidochelys Olivacea ) is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The hawksbill turtle is one of five rare sea turtle species in the Vietnam Red Book that are seriously threatened and need to be preserved.

Hai An