Surgical treatment of injuries caused by fishing gear in the intracoelomic digestive tract of sea turtles

ABSTRACT: We report the surgical techniques used to remove accidentally ingested hooks andbranchlines localized in different parts of the digestive tract of 129 loggerhead sea turtles Carettacaretta , together with the characteristics and localization of lesions, and final outcome related totheir severity. Hooks were removed from the cervical esophagus via the ventral surface of theneck, while the supraplastron approach was performed for hooks wedged in the intracoelomicportion of the esophagus. An approach through the left axillary region was preferred for fishhooksin the stomach, while hooks and long branchlines in the intestine or pyloric area were removed byapproaching the coelomic cavity through the right or left prefemoral fossa. The ingestion of fish-hooks, and/or longlines, often induces severe injuries in the digestive tract that could lead to thedeath of the turtles, with the extent of damage engendered by lines often more severe than thatcaused by hooks, leading to strangulation, intussusception, and tears that require resection of longtracts of intestine. Spontaneous expulsion of hooks, even where possible, involves long waitingtimes, with the possible impairment of the turtle’s clinical condition, and should be avoided whenthe line is evident or suspected. The development of diversified surgical techniques enabled us toapproach the coelomic cavity with minimally invasive and easy-to-perform methods, and survivalrates proved very satisfactory.KEY WORDS: Injuries · Fishing line · Digestive tract · Surgical treatment · Sea turtles