Briatico (VV). Caretta Caretta turtle rescued in obvious difficulty

The Financiers of the Naval Station of Vibo Valentia have spotted and rescued, near the coast of Briatico (VV), a specimen of Caretta Caretta turtle in evident difficulty

Recovered from the sea, approximately 1 nautical mile from the coast of Briatico in the Vibo area, a Caretta Caretta turtle, in evident difficulty, was spotted by a Coast Guard of the Guardia di Finanza on patrol, who rescued it with the help from the Diving Unit of the Naval Station of Vibo Valentia. Recovered on board the Corps’ dinghy, the turtle was then transported to the port of Vibo Valentia and entrusted to the care of the city’s ASP veterinarian and the professionals of the Turtle and Marine Animal Recovery Center of Montepaone (CZ).

The specimen, included in the CITES convention and in the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, is considered a vulnerable species due to the risk of extinction and, the timely intervention of the financiers, thus made it possible to avoid lethal consequences for the animal, already severely debilitated.

The Financiers of the Naval Station of Vibo Valentia, as part of their daily coastal surveillance and sea surveillance activities, spotted the specimen in evident difficulty at a short distance from the coast of Briatico (VV). Having informed the local Port Authority in order to arrange the intervention of the vet, the turtle, after the visit by the vet, was entrusted to the staff of the Catanzaro specialized center to be subjected to diagnostic investigations.

The animal turned out to be a female loggerhead turtle.

The constant presence at sea of ​​the naval units of the Aeronaval Operations Department of the Guardia di Finanza of Vibo Valentia, engaged in police activities and the fight against illegal fishing, have made it possible in recent months to identify and sanction numerous illegal fishermen, seizing nets and fishing gear irregular fishing which not only does not ensure the selection of catches, but creates the strong risk of injuring animals belonging to protected species or for which catches are even subject to quotas, as in the case of bluefin tuna.