BOSTON – The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Moray rescued an entangled sea turtle approximately 1 mile south of Great Duck Island, Maine at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
While conducting a routine boarding of a fishing vessel, Moray crewmembers noticed a lobster buoy moving erratically in the water near the Moray’s small boat.
The crew pulled alongside the buoy and noticed a sea turtle entangled in the line and unable to swim away or dive.
Moray’s crew safely freed the turtle and it was able to swim away unharmed.
“As soon as the crew realized it was a turtle in distress, they shifted gears immediately from law-enforcement to living marine resources,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Michael Koch, officer in charge of the Moray. “They accomplished the mission quickly and safely, and it was rewarding for us to watch the turtle swim off.”
The Moray is an 87-foot patrol boat homeported in Jonesport, Maine.
