The turtles that have washed up in the coverage area which includes Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Fisher’s Island, New York, have been mostly decomposed, preventing thorough post-mortem examination.
“Some recent turtles are in good body condition without any obvious signs of significant illness or human/fisheries interaction,” said Allison D. Tuttle, DVM, Diplomate ACZM, Senior Director of Animal Care and Veterinary Services and Director of the Animal Rescue Program.
Other members of the Greater Atlantic Region Stranding Network are also reporting increases in dead loggerhead sea turtles recently. Based on the reports from Mystic Aquarium and other organizations in the region, NOAA Fisheries will also be reviewing the data.
“Sea turtle strandings have been elevated from New York through Rhode Island in the last two months. We are working with the stranding network, including Mystic Aquarium, to investigate possible causes of this increase and monitor the numbers closely to see if this trend continues.” said Kate Sampson of NOAA Fisheries.
Tuttle and her team will continue to research the data here in Mystic as well if more turtles strand. The hope is to determine the cause and subsequently take action that will allow Mystic Aquarium and other partners to reverse the current trend.
Mystic Aquarium ardently supports sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation and currently partners with the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores Sea Turtle Awareness Program, where rescued hatchlings are raised in a facility for one to two years for the purpose of conservation education.
“We get them in as tiny hatchlings that may not even weigh 100 grams”, said Tuttle, who was instrumental in fostering the partnership between Mystic Aquarium and NC Aquarium.
“Because of their larger size at release, their chances for survival are much greater than if they return to the ocean as hatchlings,” said Tuttle.
In November, Mystic Aquarium will release “Chance”, a loggerhead sea turtle who has been receiving care from the husbandry and veterinary staff for nearly a year, into the Gulf Stream.
“We’ve been involved with this program since 2008,” added Tuttle. “Chance is the eleventh loggerhead to have come through this program at Mystic Aquarium”.
Pollution, fishing, boat collisions, poaching, and habitat destruction have all contributed to the decline in the population of loggerhead turtles. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) cites the threats to sea turtles in the marine environment as entanglement in a wide-variety of fishing gear and marine debris such as plastic bags, bottles, nylon rope, and much more. This is a continuing problem for sea turtles, who accidentally ingest debris or become entangled.
Marine debris is a global problem and one that is not easy to fix; however, through both large-scale and individual efforts progress can be made. Individuals can assist in local cleanup initiatives and discard trash appropriately to help with this problem.
A larger initiative is the Washed Ashore Project, a non-profit, community-based organization with a mission of educating and creating awareness about marine debris and plastic pollution through art.
“We are excited to have Washed Ashore here at Mystic Aquarium,” said Dr. Stephen M. Coan, President & CEO, Sea Research Foundation, Inc. “It is a fresh, exciting and unique way to not only increase awareness of the issue of pollution and its effect on our oceans but also a poignant way to engage the public in environmental education and inspire activism to save our seas”.
The larger-than-life sculptures are crafted by lead artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi exclusively from marine debris and plastic pollution that has been collected by Pozzi and community members of all ages from beach clean-ups. Together the team cleans and processes the debris into art supplies.
The artwork is combined with scientifically based educational signage to teach children and adults alike about ocean stewardship, responsible consumer habits and more.
Washed Ashore will open at Mystic Aquarium on November 1.
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Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue Team Leaps into Action After Uncovering New Data on ...
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