Coast Guard Rescues Massive Turtle Caught in Line off Coast of Long Island

Members of the Coast Guard helped rescue a large turtle stuck in a line off the coast of Long Island on Monday.

At 1:30 p.m., the Coast Guard's Long Island Sound command center received a report of an entangled leatherback sea turtle in Fort Pond Bay.

A boat crew from the Coast Guard's Montauk station arrived at the scene and found the turtle caught in a lobster pod line. They managed to cut the line and free the turtle.

"The turtle would have most likely died if the crew did not respond to assist," Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew Foster. "The line was around the turtle's neck and fin and was getting tighter."

The turtle showed no signs of injury and swam away.

Leatherback turtles are the world's largest turtle, and one of the largest living reptiles, according to the NOAA. An adult can weigh up to 2,000 pounds.

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