Endangered turtles returned to sea in southern Vietnam

A sea turtle weighing more than 80 kg and measuring 1.2 m long was released into the sea on Monday morning, after it was caught by fishermen on Phu Quoc Island. As encouraged by local authorities, the fishermen handed over the turtles.

Previously on Sunday, three other sea turtles weighing 90-100 kg each were also put back into the sea.

The three turtles were purchased from fishermen by locals in Kien Luong District who took care of the marine reptiles before transferring them to local authorities.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN), sea turtles worldwide are at historic low levels due to persistent over-exploitation, especially of adult females on nesting beaches, fatal fisheries interactions, and the widespread collection of eggs

The IUCN lists sea turtle species as either "endangered" or "critically endangered."