Coast Guard Teams Up With Center For Coastal Studies In Turtle Rescue

BOSTON (CBS) – Coast Guard crews and the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown worked together to free a leatherback turtle Saturday after it was entangled in lines outside Buzzards Bay.

The fishing boat Laura C contacted the 1st Coast Guard District Command Center in Boston after seeing the turtle in distress near a buoy in Quicks Hole Pass, between Buzzards Bay and Martha's Vineyard.

A rescue crew from Coast Guard Station Woods Hole responded with a member from the Center for Coastal Studies aboard to rescue the turtle.

Once on scene the team freed the turtle from the lines and released it safely back to the sea.

"This case really highlights the value of our marine partnerships," said Petty Officer 1st Class Sheldon Schaffer, the operations unit coordinator at the 1st Coast Guard District.

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