Updated 11.30am

A loggerhead turtle was found dead on the sandy beach at Balluta Bay on Tuesday morning after it ingested a fishing hook and line.

The cause of death of the adult female loggerhead, believed to be about 17 years old, was the hook and line, said Vince Attard, from environmental NGO Nature Trust. 

This, he said, was one of the main causes of death and injury amongst turtles. They “fall for the bait”  and ingest the hook attached to the end of the fishing line. If the fisherman tries to pull the hook out, they can cause damage to the turtle's internal organs causing infection or internal bleeding that leads to death.

Photo: Rachel Genovese

If the line is cut, and the hook is untouched, the turtle can survive. Attard said Nature Trust was in talks to embark on a campaign to encourage fishermen to bring in any turtle that ingested a hook - and get a new hook in return. Hooks are typically made of stainless steel and cost about €2.

Everyone was very upset and sad. It was sad to see a turtle washed up on a beach.

The second most common cause of death for turtles was the ingestion of plastic. Each year Nature Trust received between 25 and 30 calls of injured or dead turtles, Attard said.

Photo: Rachel Genovese

Onlooker Cikka Paolella was just leaving the gym when she heard people talking about the dead turtle on the beach. “By the time I got there, there was a crowd that had gathered around it. Everyone was very upset and sad. It was sad to see a turtle washed up on a beach,” she said. Onlookers were saying that there was a fishing line around it and that there were also traces of plastic.

The loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, is a long-living, slowly maturing marine species that lives in tropical to warm temperate areas. It is classified as globally endangered by the World Conservation Area and is protected by various national and international legislation.

Photo: Rachel Genovese