Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary News

Sea Turtle Update

Adam Glahn has written the following update on stranded sea turtles.

As this sea turtle stranding season progresses, the weather is getting colder.  This has had ill effects on the sea turtles stranding on Cape Cod.  The colder water has been causing the stranding of larger turtles and a decreased survival rate for those recovered.  As of December 1^st, a few loggerhead sea turtles have been washing ashore with one weighing as much as 110 pounds.  Through December 13, a total of 35 sea turtles have been recovered from the beaches of Cape Cod Bay and one from Nantucket.  There have been 26 Kemp’s Ridley, four Loggerhead, five Green and one possible Kemp’s Ridley-Loggerhead hybrid (the blood work is still being performed).  Of these, 16 are alive and are being rehabilitated at the New England Aquarium.  It looks as though the season is slowing down and possibly coming to a close early this year but we will see where it leads in the weeks to come.

You can click on the photo of the map to enlarge it and see where the stranded sea turtles have been found this year.

Sea Turtle Rescue Season

Adam Glahn is an intern working with sea turtles this fall on the sanctuary. He wrote the following piece.

Come fall every year, juvenile sea turtles become cold stunned and wash ashore in Cape Cod Bay. Due to the unique shape of Cape Cod Bay, young sea turtles coming in from the open ocean become trapped and unable to continue their journey south. As a cold-blooded reptile, when the water temperature gets too cold, the sea turtles slow and their bodies begin to shut down. On days of strong wind, the turtles are blown with it to the shore and are left stranded on the beach after the high tide.

 This season has gotten off to a good start with 19 strandings as of November 27^th. Of the 19, 15 have been Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles and four Green sea turtles. At the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, our primary responsibility is to remove the turtles from the beaches so they can be rehabilitated. By accessing the wind and tides from day to day, we are able to determine the most likely locations of the strandings. After bringing the turtles back to the sanctuary, their sizes are measured and visible injuries are documented. Within a day, the turtle is driven up to the New England Aquarium where the rehabilitation takes place. They determine the initial health of the turtle and slowly warm it a couple of degrees per day until it is at a healthy temperature. As the season moves on, and the aquarium fills up, some of the turtles may be transported to facilities as far as Florida to finish their rehabilitation. All of the turtles that successfully recover are released between late spring and August to continue their trip to warmer waters.

The turtle in the photograph is a Kemps-ridley, one of the rarest and most endangered of the sea turtles.