Environmentalists are calling on fishermen to keep the ocean free of fishing line after a 150 pound Green turtle was severely injured yesterday.

Marine Police saw the turtle trapped in fishing line and struggling to get out of the main boat channel at the Salt Kettle ferry stop. Senior Fisheries Warden John Edmunds went to haul the turtle to safety after receiving the call. The Green turtle ? it is not yet known to be male or female ? is thought to have fishing line trapped inside oesophagus and stomach and an injured front right flipper. A missing front left flipper indicates this is not the turtle?s first encounter with fishing line.

Environmentalists are calling on boaters to be mindful of the turtle alert signs posted in various locations around the Island. Twenty-two signs will be put up next month in the Great Sound, in St. George?s, St. David?s and in the Paradise Lakes area warning boaters to go slowly. Bermuda Turtle Project Co-ordinator Jennifer Gray told The Royal Gazette this has been the fourth incident this summer in which a Green turtle was injured.

Every year there is an increase in injuries with about twenty animals brought to the Wild Life Rehabilitation Centre for emergency treatment. Half of the turtles which are brought in are dead when they arrive.

?If people could see these animals tied to their death we think they would make more effort in keeping the fishing line out of the water, we?re continuing to deal with more of these incidents every year,? she said.

Sea turtles are continually threatened by speedboats, fishing line, and jet skis which often speed through their feeding areas, breaking their shells and causing severe injuries which often result in death.

As a result of increased conservation efforts, there are more turtles in our oceans, but safety risks to turtles include faster boats and jet skis and an increase in fishing in local waters.

?People do not hit the turtles intentionally, but these accidents are calling for greater enforcement of marine speeding laws,? she said. She said boaters are going too fast in areas where there is a mandated five knot driving zones.

She continued: ?There is a lot that has to be taken into consideration, there are more green turtles in our waters today than there was three years ago, which is very positive, but at the same time comes technology such as faster boats.

?We need to remember that these animals were on the earth a lot longer than us, we have to respect their needs as well as our own and to be considerate even if that means driving at a slower speed to where we need to go.?

The pain a turtle trapped under these circumstances may experience is apparent particularly if they are caught in the high tide which can lead to drowning.

Luckily, this turtle was caught in the water at low tide. ?From a pain perspective these are breathing animals who are tied to the bottom of the ocean by string. Imagine if you were tied to the ocean by fishing line struggling to get a breath of air?? she said.

Green turtles spend their juvenile years feeding in Bermuda?s peaceful oceans before swimming to the Caribbean at maturity. Green turtles do not reach sexual maturity until they are 40 to 50 years old. Director of Conservation Services Jack Ward said there are more and more ?neophyte? boaters on the water who appear to be driving very fast and not abiding by the marine law of a maximum of five knots within 100 metres of the shore.

While he is not in favour of hefty fines for hitting turtles and other marine life that apply in other areas of the world, Mr. Ward is calling on increased education and awareness.

?We?re not convinced people are paying attention to the signs that have been put up,? he said.

Mr. Ward said it is difficult to hold boaters responsible for hitting a turtle through legislation as there are many unintentional accidents. ?It?s more about education and encouraging people to slow down in areas of sea grass where turtles are feeding,? he added.

Environmentalists are also working on having the turtle listed as a protected species under the Protected Species Act. What that means is that the green turtle will have a Species Recovery Plan which mandates public education and outreach.

A Recovery Plan also looks at what formal plans can be put in place to protect the species. Today the turtle will be taken to the vet where an x-ray will be taken to determine if there is a fish hook lodged in its stomach or oesophagus. If this is the case an extremely stressful and risky operation will begin with a vet attempting to remove the trapped object.

If an object is trapped in its intestine, the turtle will have to be completely opened up which is a highly risky procedure. Mrs. Gray said does not have a good prognosis. They are hoping this turtle will recover quickly.

Earlier this year a green turtle died after being caught in kite string that had fallen into the ocean. Two years ago seven green turtles died as a result of boating related injuries.

The public is asked to be considerate as they swim and fish. ?We are asking people to be mindful of how fast they are going, to keep their trash in the boat, and if they see something in the ocean to pull it out as it puts not only animals at risk but people as well,? said Mrs. Gray.