NC Sea Turtles Stunned by Cold Water, SC Turtle Center Organizes Rescue
In response, the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program in Charleston and the SC Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have come to the rescue of some turtles, transporting stunned turtles to various places such as the Charleston center and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.
Click here for the video from the Aquarium YouTube site on the rescue.
The recent cold weather quickly dropped coastal water temperatures and stunned more than 100 sea turtles as they washed ashore on North Carolina beaches in the past week.
"In addition to highlighting the strong partnership between the Aquarium and DNR that now benefits many species statewide," said South Carolina Sea Turtle Coordinator DuBose Griffin, "this effort also demonstrates the continued cooperation between neighboring state agencies and conservation organizations."
Long-term exposure to very cold water causes sea turtles to suffer maladies such as decreased heart rates, decreased circulation and lethargy which can lead to shock, pneumonia and death.
Go here more information on the SC DNR Marine Turtle Conservation Program and the SC Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program.
For more fisheries articles and links see my blog A Dash of Salty.
Published by Jeffrey Weeks
Jeffrey Weeks is an award-winning NC newspaper columnist who writes about saltwater and freshwater fishing, southern seafood and cooking, hunting, popular entertainment, and sports. View profile
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7 Comments
Post a CommentGreat work on this article. Down here, we are concerned about the manatees. I haven't heard anything about turtles in Florida, yet.
Those who protect the planet and its species have always been heroes to me. I didn't know that the water temps had dropped low enough to cause this problem. Perhaps one day more people will understand that global warming involves much more than heat. Not that this particular incident indicates climate change, but the world has had a decade of extremes...record setting hurricanes, flooding, drought, snow, and the continued reduction of early warning species. Thanks for writing about this Jeffrey.
I am glad they are being cared for
I was just telling my mother that I heard that tropical birds were falling out of trees in the zoo in Florida because the temps got too low and they were freezing. Now, I'll have to call her back and tell her about the turtles. This crazy weather is affecting everything. cheers :)
what a cute turtle
Too bad, Poor turtles.
Bummer. Turtles just can't seem to get a break these days.