The National Museum of Marine Biology Aquarium in Pingtung County yesterday released a green sea turtle back into the wild with a tracker, saying that its migratory path could help explain why sea turtles on the east coast are more prone to tumors.
The release was conducted in Taitung County’s Shanyuan Township (杉原).
The museum in July last year was alerted to the sea turtle’s accidental capture by fishers, museum veterinarian Chen Yi-chun (陳怡純) said, adding that it was young and the museum was unable to discern whether it was male or female.
Photo courtesy of the Ocean Conservation Administration
The turtle weighed 30kg and was about 60cm in length, Chen said, adding that it was covered in tumors and was weak at the time of discovery.
After about half a year of treatment, the museum determined that the turtle was healthy enough to release back into the wild, she said.
Her team installed a GPS tracker on the turtle, hoping that data from it would help determine migratory paths and preferred habitats, she said.
“Most importantly, we hope the data would help researchers understand why turtles have been inflicted with tumors,” Chen said.
An increasing number of the worldwide sea turtle population has been found with tumors, Chen said, adding that those with tumors found near Taiwan have all been along the east coast.
The cause of the tumors — whether from a virus or marine pollution — is still undetermined, she said, adding that many such turtles have died.
This was the second sea turtle that the museum had released back into the wild after treatment for tumors, she said.
The Taitung County Department of Agriculture said that out of 49 sea turtles found on the county’s beaches that were beached or entangled in fishing nets, only four have been saved, with three of the four having been released back into the wild.
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