Rare sea turtle spotted in Co To

The Co To sea area and the Tran Island in the Co To island district is one of 16 sea areas planned by the Prime Minister, belonging to the system of national marine reserve due to its high biodiversity, rich and diverse aquatic resources along with other natural values.

According to information from the leader of Co To district (Quang Ninh), on August 21, a rare sea turtle appeared in the waters of the district, weighing over 20 kg. This is a very good signal for the marine ecological environment of the Co To island district.

Being the first person to discover turtles when with a group of friends on a boat trip to the East beach, on Co To island, Dong Tien commune, Mr. Ngo Gia Manh (20 years old, from Dong Tien commune) said that the individual turtle weighed 20 kg, came to the surface 3 times. The longest time the sea turtle individual styed on the water surface was about 15 minutes. Discovering the sea turtle, Mr Manh and his group of friends recorded a clip and took a photo to post on the social network Facebook.

"Yesterday, the weather in Co To was very nice, the water was clear, so we could see the turtle very clearly. The turtle first appeared at about 12:30. The second time, the turtle swam close to the side of my boat, coming to the surface to breathe for about 15 minutes. The third time it appeared, the sea turtle swam at an area 40 - 50 meters away from our ship. It's a rare sight to see indeed," Mr Manh said.

As previously informed, after more than 10 years of the Co To island district releasing a turtle weighing 125 kg back to the sea, this is the first time sea turtles appeared in Co To. A few months ago, dolphins also appeared in Co To sea right next to the wharf where many fishermen and their vehicles set off and docked.

The appearance of sea turtles and dolphins in this sea shows that the ecological system and marine environment in the Co To district have improved tremendously. Especially for nearly two years now, the locality has been promoting the cleaning of the marine environment with the determination to build the image of the Dong Bac island district without plastic waste.