A group of fishermen rescued an Olive Ridley sea turtle, an endangered species, mid-sea off the Poonthura coast a few days ago.
The turtle was entangled in the gill net that was cast by the fishermen nearly 30km away from the coastline while they went fishing on October 26 night.
One of the fishermen, Joyson, who spotted the accidental catch, tore the net to free the turtle. The rescue operation, which was recorded by the group, was an indication of the growing awareness among the fisherfolk towards marine species that faced extinction along the Kerala coast, Wildlife Trust of India marine head Sajan John said.
Stressing on the need to conserve the species, Thiruvananthapuram Divisional Forest Officer K.I. Pradeep Kumar said sea turtles figured among the endangered species listed in Schedule 1 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
According to Biju Kumar, head of the department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, Kerala University, sea turtles breed along the Indian coast during the months from October to March. Rescuing turtles that were caught in fishing nets would go a long way in sustaining their dwindling population, he said.
