Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for January–March 2025
Working to Understand and Address Hook and Line Interactions with Sea Turtles in NC
by Matthew Godfrey, Sea Turtle Biologist; Sarah Finn, Coastal Wildlife Diversity Biologist; and Kimmy Miller, Sea Turtle Technician
C oastal waters of North Carolina are most suitable for sea turtles between April and November, when the turtles come nearshore and inshore to forage and reproduce. During this period, sea turtles are exposed to a variety of anthropo- genic threats, including vessel strikes, capture by hopper dredges, and incidental capture by commercial and recre- ational fishing gear. In partnership with the NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service, NC Division of Marine Fisheries, NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine, and NC Aquariums over the past several years, NCWRC biologists have been working to better under- stand the extent of interactions between sea turtles and recre-
mation about how to handle sea turtles accidentally hooked, and encourage fishers to immediately report all incidents with sea turtles to the NC Sea Turtle Stranding Hotline. At the end of 2024, there were 107 reported cases of tur- tles that had been hooked throughout the coastal counties. This is more than double the average number reported annu- ally during the previous five years, suggesting that the infor- mational signs are effectively resulting in better reporting of these interactions. In most cases, the turtles were lightly hooked, allowing fishers to easily remove the gear and return the turtle to the ocean without incident. Occasionally, a turtle had deeply swallowed a hook and was subsequently moved to an authorized facility where the hook could be removed by trained personnel in more controlled circumstances. Data about each interaction are shared with federal partners as part of a regional initiative to develop protocols to minimize inju- ries to sea turtles resulting from hook and line interactions. Although it is likely that interactions are still underreported, these efforts are a step toward better understanding of this threat to sea turtles in NC.
ational hook and line fishing gear. In early 2024, NCWRC distrib- uted new signs to all oceanic fishing piers in the state to increase awareness of sea turtle bycatch, provide infor-
NCWRC
Above: Informational sign about sea tur- tle interactions with hook and line gear, distributed to piers in North Carolina in 2024. Right: A sea turtle accidentally cap- tured by a recreational fisher is ready for release back to the ocean after the hook was removed from its beak.
11
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator