The longline is a fishing system widely used in the Sicilian Channel and is the cause of high mortality for sea turtles. Of 1170 loggerhead sea turtles referred to WWF Sea Turtle Rescue Centre of Lampedusa in the past five years, at least 288 had lesions in the digestive tract resulting from the ingestion of hooks and lines. 213 cases showed a hook lodged in the wall of the oesophagus and the fishing line protruding from the rhamphotheca, while in the remaining 74 cases one or more hooks were detected in the stomach or intestine, with monofilament lines that occupied large stretches of the digestive tract. It is known that the surgical approach for the extraction of hooks from the oesophagus is relatively easy, while surgery of the lower digestive tract is certainly more challenging and further complicated by the serious injuries that hooks and lines often cause in the stomach and intestine. This study describes the surgical techniques used for extraction of hooks and lines from the stomach and intestine and reports the results obtained in relation to the type and severity of lesions found in 74 Caretta caretta. 24 turtles had a hook with a short line in the stomach and removal was easily achieved with the surgical approach through the soft tissues of the left axillary region. In 23 cases the surgical approach was via the soft tissues of the inguinal region (16 right and 7 left) to remove fishing-lines that extended through the entire upper digestive tract. In the remaining 27 cases multiple surgical approaches (cervical and inguinal or axillary and inguinal) were performed to remove hooks lodged in the oesophagus or stomach, but where the long-lines had traversed the entire digestive tract. In the 50 operations involving longline extraction, the intestine was exteriorized gradually from the inguinal approach and line was cut into segments and extracted through small multiple enterotomies (from 2 to 4) performed at regularly-spaced intervals along the anti-mesenteric margin. In 34 cases single or multiple intestinal lacerations were detected, caused by the pull of the lines; these were sutured progressively. In 5 cases, because of severe lacerations, it was necessary to perform an enterectomy of a long section of small intestine and subsequent termino-terminal anastomosis. Of the 74 operated turtles, 23 died after 4-12 days post-surgery as a result of intestinal lesions and severe debilitation, the remaining 51 made a complete recovery and were released 15-40 days after surgery. These data confirm that in case of interaction with longline fisheries the greatest danger is caused by the ingestion of lines that prevent the turtles from eating and rapidly cause serious damage to the bowel wall. However, in all cases where hooks, and/or line, have been ingested, it is imperative that extraction of these foreign bodies proceeds without delay, according to the most modern techniques of anesthesia and surgery, to maximise the chance of recovery.

Surgical extractions and treatment of injuries caused by fishing hooks and lines in the digestive tract of sea turtles: case histories from 2005 to 2009

DI BELLO, Antonio Vito Francesco;VALASTRO, CARMELA
2010-01-01

Abstract

The longline is a fishing system widely used in the Sicilian Channel and is the cause of high mortality for sea turtles. Of 1170 loggerhead sea turtles referred to WWF Sea Turtle Rescue Centre of Lampedusa in the past five years, at least 288 had lesions in the digestive tract resulting from the ingestion of hooks and lines. 213 cases showed a hook lodged in the wall of the oesophagus and the fishing line protruding from the rhamphotheca, while in the remaining 74 cases one or more hooks were detected in the stomach or intestine, with monofilament lines that occupied large stretches of the digestive tract. It is known that the surgical approach for the extraction of hooks from the oesophagus is relatively easy, while surgery of the lower digestive tract is certainly more challenging and further complicated by the serious injuries that hooks and lines often cause in the stomach and intestine. This study describes the surgical techniques used for extraction of hooks and lines from the stomach and intestine and reports the results obtained in relation to the type and severity of lesions found in 74 Caretta caretta. 24 turtles had a hook with a short line in the stomach and removal was easily achieved with the surgical approach through the soft tissues of the left axillary region. In 23 cases the surgical approach was via the soft tissues of the inguinal region (16 right and 7 left) to remove fishing-lines that extended through the entire upper digestive tract. In the remaining 27 cases multiple surgical approaches (cervical and inguinal or axillary and inguinal) were performed to remove hooks lodged in the oesophagus or stomach, but where the long-lines had traversed the entire digestive tract. In the 50 operations involving longline extraction, the intestine was exteriorized gradually from the inguinal approach and line was cut into segments and extracted through small multiple enterotomies (from 2 to 4) performed at regularly-spaced intervals along the anti-mesenteric margin. In 34 cases single or multiple intestinal lacerations were detected, caused by the pull of the lines; these were sutured progressively. In 5 cases, because of severe lacerations, it was necessary to perform an enterectomy of a long section of small intestine and subsequent termino-terminal anastomosis. Of the 74 operated turtles, 23 died after 4-12 days post-surgery as a result of intestinal lesions and severe debilitation, the remaining 51 made a complete recovery and were released 15-40 days after surgery. These data confirm that in case of interaction with longline fisheries the greatest danger is caused by the ingestion of lines that prevent the turtles from eating and rapidly cause serious damage to the bowel wall. However, in all cases where hooks, and/or line, have been ingested, it is imperative that extraction of these foreign bodies proceeds without delay, according to the most modern techniques of anesthesia and surgery, to maximise the chance of recovery.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11586/121596
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