Airlifting endangered sea turtles

BInternational Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) partnered to airlift endangered sea turtles from New England Aquarium to new rehabilitation sites in Florida.

On Saturday, December 11, 21 Kemp's ridley sea turtles and one loggerhead sea turtle flew to Clearwater/St. Petersburg, Florida aboard an Eastern Air Charter. The transport of these endangered turtles is being funded by the Cape Cod-based International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). They will be distributed to Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, The Turtle Hospital in Marathon Key, Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota, Epcot's Living Seas in Orlando, and the Florida Aquarium in Tampa. 29 Kemp's ridley, 2 green and 2 loggerhead sea turtles will remain at Boston's New England Aquarium for treatment for hypothermia, illnesses and injuries.

More are expected to strand over the next few weeks. This stranding event began in earnest on Monday, November 15, and since then more than 115 live sea turtles have stranded. 16 have died, most within the first 24 hours. Additionally, about 25 were found dead.

Staff and volunteers with Massachusetts Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary continue to coordinate the rescue effort. The turtles are mainly Kemp's ridley sea turtles, but green sea turtles and loggerhead sea turtles have also been recovered. Rescuers continue to monitor beaches.

This sea turtle stranding event is unprecedented. Each year, a few dozen sea turtles wash ashore on Cape Cod beaches. Sea turtles normally migrate (or float with the current) and feed in Cape Cod Bay during the warm summer months. When the water quickly turns cold in early winter, it reduces the turtles' body temperatures below normal, and the turtles wash ashore in a condition called cold-stunned. This season's stranding totals are particularly alarming because of the fragile population status of the Kemp's ridley sea turtle. Only 6000-7000 breeding adult Kemp's ridley sea turtles are estimated alive today.

Today, all sea turtle populations are susceptible to coastal development, pollution, collisions with boats and entanglement in fishing gear. All seven species of sea turtle are either endangered or threatened. On November 19, 33 Kemp's ridley sea turtles flew to Orlando, Florida aboard a Coast Guard H25 Falcon Jet. They were distributed to five rehabilitation sites: The Turtle Hospital in Marathon Key, Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota, Epcot's Living Seas in Orlando, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater and the Marine Life Center in Juno Beach. On November 23, 12 Kemp's ridley sea turtles were transported to the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, CT.