Sad news from Scotland about an unfortunate leatherback drowned in a creel rope in Sutherland, Northwest Scotland, last week. Pictures have been circulating on Twitter, and in the Aberdeen Press and Journal. The full story can be found here.
The turtle was about 2m long, and is thought to have drowned in fishing gear. It was discovered by a fisherman on Wednesday 8th October 2014, tangled in creel ropes in Eddrachillis Bay near Drumbeg, Sutherland. Fishermen took it to Lochinver, where it was something of a local spectacle to schoolchildren and Highland Council rangers alike.
Could it have been the same individual seen off the Outer Hebrides in September 2014, as reported here? Perhaps not. With such a warm September, and seas off western Scotland warmer than usual, this was probably not the only leatherback feasting on a Scottish jellyfish bonanza.