Twenty green turtles found on a suspected smuggling boat in Bali are back in the sea

Twenty green turtles found alive on a boat off Bali in a suspected smuggling attempt were released back into the sea at Serangan Beach on 13 October, Indonesia's Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) said. Two more are still being treated.

An unmanned boat spotted by fishermen

Early on 10 October, fishermen reported a suspicious blue boat with no one on board off Serangan Beach in South Denpasar. Bali police water patrols found 22 large green turtles on it, all alive. The turtles were taken to the Turtle Conservation and Education Center (TCEC) at Serangan for health checks by veterinarians from Udayana University.

Twenty were fit to go back to the sea three days later. The release involved the ministry's Denpasar marine management office, the police, TCEC, WWF, a local turtle conservation group and other partners. The ministry has not published details on suspects or charges.

“Rescuing protected aquatic species does not end once they are secured.” — Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, Indonesia's Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (translated from Indonesian)

Koswara, the ministry's director general of marine management, credited the fishermen. The community's quick response was a very important first step in the rescue, he said.

A protected species that is still traded

Green turtles are protected in Indonesia under the 1990 conservation law, amended in 2024, and are listed in CITES Appendix I, which bans their international commercial trade. Direct harvest of turtles and eggs is one of the main threats to the species worldwide, along with bycatch, vessel strikes and habitat loss, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Bali has a long history with this trade. In 1999, an investigation by the Indonesian wildlife group ProFauna found that about 9,000 turtles were killed in Bali in roughly four months, which led to confiscations and law enforcement between 2000 and 2002. Seizures have continued since: in July 2011, Bali's marine police intercepted 18 green turtles about to be smuggled to Tanjung Benoa, according to ProFauna.

Adult green turtles are large, about 3 to 4 feet long, which makes each one a significant loss to a breeding population. Fishermen elsewhere have stepped in too: in Vietnam's Ca Mau province, a fisherman handed over a 70-kilogram green turtle caught in his net so it could be freed.

Two turtles still in care

The two turtles that stayed behind remain at TCEC under veterinary care. The ministry has not said when they will be released or whether any of the turtles were tagged before release. More stories of animals returned to the wild are collected under wildlife rescue.