ANIMAL rescuers are calling for Hunter anglers to take responsibility after a green turtle found in Lake Macquarie required life-saving surgery to extract seven fish hooks from its stomach.
Taronga Wildlife Hospital veterinarians intervened to save the creature, which had its intestines pierced by fishing line, and asked fishers to be careful over the Easter long weekend.
Senior veterinarian Larry Vogelnest said the animal was in a bad way when it came into their care.
"I've never seen this many fishing hooks inside one turtle so it was a very difficult and delicate surgery," he said.
"I was very concerned that this turtle wouldn't survive because of the extent of the damage.
"While she's not quite out of the woods yet, she is eating and doing well so I feel quietly optimistic about the outcome even if that does include a long road to recovery."
Believed to be a female close to breeding age, or roughly 40 years old, the 50-kilogram green turtle was found by a Lake Macquarie local.
It was the sixth turtle treated at the Sydney hospital this year.
All six of the marine turtle species found in Australian waters are listed as endangered of vulnerable.
"Green turtles are often found in and around Lake Macquarie as there is plenty of seagrass for the turtles to forage in," Dr Vogelnest said.
"This Green turtle was brought in by rescuers who had seen it floating with a visible wound on her shell, which is believed to be from a boat strike."
Four of the seven hooks were in a gang-hook formation, x-rays revealed, but it was the attached line that vets said caused the most damage.
With natural movement of the intestine, the anchored line forces the organ to bunch up. The taut line can cut through the intestine, delivering a slow and painful death for the turtle.
Ultrasounds sparked initial suspicions, prompted difficult surgery on an animal encased in a shell.
Despite the challenges vets were able to remove the hooks and line in a five-hour operation, finding damage to the intestine but not a full cut.
"Prevention is always better than cure, so I would encourage anglers to be responsible and to always safely discard fishhooks and line," Dr Vogelnest said.
"If you accidentally hook a turtle or a bird such as a cormorant, please do not cut off the line and let it go. Instead, please reach out to a wildlife rescue organisation for assistance of bring the animal to the Taronga Wildlife Hospital or a local vet for assistance.
"When cutting the line, it is important to leave a long length of line out of its mouth as that will help us get the hook out. Make sure the animal doesn't swallow the hook and line further. If you have tape, you can gently tape the line to the turtle's shell."
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