DRONE CASE STUDY
Turtle Entanglement Recorded via Drone
9th December 2021
Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives
During a drone flight with resort guests observing, there was an object spotted at 07:37 just off the reef of Kuda Faru, near to the Ritz-Carlton resort. Pilot Kat flew the drone lower to identify it.
The object was found to be a turtle, with its two back flippers entangled in fishing nets. The turtle was observed to be moving backwards despite trying to swim, due to strong current. Kat followed the turtle with the drone, locating its position off the reef, whilst calling for assistance to secure a boat for recovery.
Kat, fellow scientist Sol, and a boat skipper searched the surrounding area of the reef and farther out for 90+ minutes using search patterns. However the turtle was not be located, most likely due to the increasingly strong current.
Kat & Sol received a phone call from Amelia, the resident marine biologist from neighbouring resort Patina, that a Patina Dive Butler boat had found a net with an entangled Olive Ridley turtle and they were in the process of transporting it back to Patina. Kat and Sol met the team, where the turtle had already been removed from the ghost net and was resting on the dive boat in the shade, covered with cold damp towel. The turtle’s two left flippers were cut down to the bone. Soon after, the Olive Ridley Project team from One & Only Resort arrived to take the turtle and treat it at their rehabilitation centre. The ORP team treated it for the remainder of the day, but the turtle succumbed to stress and injuries overnight.
During that one day, five other turtles were found within the surrounding reefs of the resorts, three of which were released without injury and two were rescued by Patina Dive Butler team and passed onto the ORP team, who treated and rehabilitated them successfully, with both eventually being released back to the atoll.
It is thought that when the winds change in the Maldives due to changing seasons, nets which are often floating on the surface are brought in on these winds and currents (from neighbouring countries), entangling wildlife on the way, and end up striking reefs, breaking off coral and damaging reef, fish and other wildlife.
Turtle data:
Adult male Olive Ridley turtle
Weight: 25 kg
Curved Carapace Length: 65 cm
Curved Carapace Width: 66 cm
