The sea turtles are facing a number of challenges
(Picture: REUTERS)Dozens of endangered green sea turtles have been found dead with neck stab wounds off the Japanese island of Kumejima.
People on Kumejina island made the discovery on Thursday after a low tide revealed the bodies.
The turtle type is also listed as endangered on the red lists of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Japanese Environment Ministry.
Police have begun an investigation into animal cruelty claims.
The Mainichi reported at least one operator had reported wounding the species to remove them from fishing nets after at least 30 turtles were discovered on a beach when the tide was out on Thursday.
"I disentangled some of the [turtles] and released them into the sea, but I couldn't free [the] heavy ones so I stabbed them to get rid of them," the operator, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the Mainichi - a Japanese national newspaper.
Most of the turtles discovered had apparent stab wounds near the base of their necks.
A Kumejima Fisheries Cooperative Association representative told the Mainichi: “We don’t have definite details, because the person dealing with that is absent.”
The green turtle is one of the largest types of the species at 31-47 inches long and weighs up to 180kg.
They are named for the greenish colour of their cartilage and fat, rather than their shells, and are found mainly in tropical and subtropical waters.
The World Wide Fund for Nature classifies green sea turtles as endangered due to overharvesting of their eggs, hunting of adults, being caught in fishing gear and loss of nesting beach sites.
A statement from the organisation read: “Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of sea turtles a year are accidentally caught in shrimp trawl nets, on longline hooks and in fishing gill nets.
“Sea turtles need to reach the surface to breathe, and therefore many drown once caught. Known as bycatch, it is a serious hazard for green turtles. As fishing activity expands, this threat is more of a problem.”
