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Cases of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins caught in abandoned fishing gear continue to be reported in Jeju. Along with dolphins, a sea turtle wrapped in a net has also been found, highlighting the ongoing plight of marine animals.

Reporter Kim Dong-eun from JIBS.

[Reporter]

A pod of about 10 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins powerfully cuts through the water.

However, a black line is visible near the tail fin of one individual.

It is entangled in abandoned fishing gear.

Another individual trapped in discarded gear was also identified within the same pod—this is Haengun, who was previously found wrapped in abandoned gear in November 2024.

This means two dolphins from a single pod have been confirmed caught in abandoned fishing gear.

On the 9th, a young dolphin swimming alongside its mother was also spotted with its tail fin caught in a fishing line.

Including two Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins with fishing hooks tangled in their mouths, as many as five living individuals have been found entangled in abandoned gear.

When including unconfirmed cases such as Jongdali, who died due to issues with abandoned gear, this is a significant blow to the entire Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin population, which numbers only about 120.

[Oh Seung-mok / Documentary Jeju Director: Looking at the total population, the number of dolphins caught in abandoned fishing gear is greater than expected. It is serious, the cycles between sightings have shortened, and such frequent appearances make us even more concerned about the future.]

The bigger problem is that the trap of abandoned fishing gear is not limited to Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins.

Coast Guard officers begin cutting away the net.

A large sea turtle, measuring 1.5 meters in body length, is tangled in the discarded net.

It is an endangered loggerhead sea turtle.

Over the past five years alone, 34 sea turtles have died after getting caught in abandoned fishing gear in Jeju.

A survey found that more than 1,600 pieces of abandoned fishing gear were discovered in over 90% of the 50 survey points across 16 marine protected areas in the province.

[Kim Byung-yeop / Head of Jeju National University Whale and Marine Life Conservation Research Center: We need to designate protected areas in regions where they frequently appear, and even if they are not designated as protected areas, we must come up with measures and countermeasures such as establishing no-fishing zones.]

There is a call for detailed investigations into the generation status and location-specific characteristics of abandoned fishing gear, along with active follow-up measures including plans for rescuing marine life.

(Video by Ko Seung-han / JIBS, Footage provided by Documentary Jeju and Jeju National University Whale and Marine Life Conservation Research Center)

Kim Dong-eun, JIBS