BAILEY
Green Sea Turtle
Species: Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Age: Adult
Sex: Male
Weight: ~ 200 lbs.
Diet: Squid, Capelin, and Leafy Greens
Stranding Date: 11/12/89
Comments: Bailey is paralyzed in the rear flippers and suffers from a buoyancy disorder due to spinal cord damage. It is believed that Bailey was dropped from a net onto a fishing boat, thereby paralyzing him and making him unreleasable. Commercial fishing nets have posed problems for sea turtles for many years. They become entangled in the nets and often drown. As of 1987, all U.S. commercial trawling nets must use a T.E.D. or turtle excluder device to help protect sea turtles. The T.E.D. is made up of a grid of bars and an additional opening in the net. When a larger animal, such as a sea turtle, is captured in the net, they are unable to pass through the bars and can escape through the opening.
