On Monday 7th July we successfully completed our 11,000th turtle release through our by Bycatch release programme. Through this programme we work closely with around 350 fishermen who contact us when they have accidentally caught a turtle in their fishing gear.

The programme is constantly growing, more and more fishermen each year get involved which is a great indication that our education and awareness programmes are making a difference.

In this particular case, this young hawksbill was fit, healthy and ready for immediate release. So after collecting her from the fisherman we transported her to the beautiful short beach in Watamu and watched her return to the Indian Ocean where she belongs. It is amazing just how fast these turtles can really move once they touch the water.

We hope this turtle, like the other 10,999 we have released since 1998, will go on to have the chance to breed and help the struggling population of their species recover.

We wouldn’t have got this far without our funders (you can find out about them on our partners page), our EcoVisitors over the years, our local supporters, all the kind people who have donated or held fundraisers for us, and our wonderful Local Ocean team. A very big thank you to you all!