Fishermen in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue released an endangered sea turtle back to the sea on Monday, newswire VnExpress reported.

Nguyen Thanh and his fellow fishermen netted the 85-kilogram turtle off the coast of Phu Dien Commune, Phu Vang District, on Monday morning.

They believed the turtle was endangered, so they reported it to local authorities.

Officers from the provincial Department of Aquatic Resources Exploitation and Protection  identified the animal as the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), an oceanic turtle distributed throughout Vietnam.

The officers told the fishermen that loggerhead turtles are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), which means that international trade of the species is prohibited.

The fishermen agreed to release the turtle back to the sea on Monday afternoon.