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Coast Guard Rescues Entangled Sea Turtle Off Martha's Vineyard

BOSTON (CBS) -- U.S. Coast Guard rescue crews freed an entangled sea turtle found near Nomans Land off Martha's Vineyard on Friday morning.

The Coast Guard received the call shortly after 6 a.m. about a Leatherback turtle caught in a lobster pot.

Crews brought a veterinarian from the Center for Coastal Studies to the turtle before 9 a.m.

In a statement, Chief Petty Officer Gaines Huneycutt says they pulled alongside the turtle, saw the rope wrapped around a flipper and its head.

Once the boat was in position, the vet used a specialized hook to reach the turtle and pull it closer before cutting it free.

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A veterinarian pulls an entangled sea turtle closer to the U.S. Coast Guard boat on Friday. (Photo Credit: U.S. Coast Guard)

The turtle then sway away, he said.

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