(New England Aquarium)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) — The New England Aquarium scientific staff found a stranded 420 pound leatherback sea turtle on Cape Cod earlier this week. The turtle had died from ingesting plastic, with a major injury from becoming entangled in fishing or boating rope.
Despite its size, the turtle was determined to by underweight by rescuers. There was also a visible wound where the front right flipper attached to the turtle’s shell.
The endangered leatherback sea turtle appears swimming around the New England coast during the summer and autumn months. According to staff at the New England Aquarium, many of these turtles suffer deaths from consuming plastic or entanglement.
Now, scientists at the New England Aquarium are researching ways to make fishing gear that is safer for sea turtles.