BOSTON — Coast Guard response crews partnered with the Center for Coastal Studies to free a leatherback turtle today after it was entangled in lines near Quicks Hole, Massachusetts.
Watchstanders at the 1st Coast Guard District Command Center in Boston, Massachusetts received a call from the fishing vessel Laura C who sighted the turtle in distress near a buoy in Quicks Hole Pass.
Coast Guard response crews partner with the Center for Coastal Studies to free a leatherback turtle August 29, 2014 after it was reported to be entangled near Quicks Hole, Mass. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
A rescue crew from Coast Guard Station Woods Hole, Massachusetts, launched with a member from the Center for Coastal Studies aboard to rescue the turtle.
Once on scene, the team worked to free the turtle from the lines and released it safely back to the sea.
“This case really highlights the value of our marine partnerships,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Sheldon Schaffer, the operations unit coordinator at the 1st Coast Guard District. Like many sea life rescues, he said the key to this case was the Coast Guard’s ability to respond quickly, combined with Center for Coastal Studies’ specialized knowledge of marine life.
