Photo courtesy of the New England Aquarium
BARNSTABLE – As the cold stun sea turtle season arrives Mass Auduban, the largest nature-based conservation organization in New England, is making more residents aware of the potential dangers to the species this time of year.
The most important part of saving the turtles when they are found, says Karen Dourdeville, Sea Turtle Research Coordinator, is to have any volunteers get the turtles off the beach in the proper way.
“The volunteers, when they find a turtle, they call our 24/7 manned hotline and they know to bring the turtle above the high tide line on the beach, but they’re not going in the water for the turtle,” Dourdeville said.
They would then cover the turtle with dried seaweed, Dourdeville continued, and mark the spot they found it if they cannot move it to a nearby parking lot that staff can make a pick up in.
Mass Audubon officials like Dourdeville, say that the turtles must be moved in temperature controlled vehicles as warming them too rapidly could kill them, but they do say that even after they pass the sea turtles can still be of use to the organization for research.
“It’s very gratifying, because we want to see these sea turtles that don’t make it be put to as much use in helping to conserve the species as possible, and this is how we do it,” said Dourdeville.
One of the studies being done to the deceased turtles is looking at the stable isotope analysis, which is looking into the atomic makeup of the turtles to find out more information about where that sea turtle was feeding and how that could affect their bodies.
Another study they do is looking at microbiome diets and parasites in the sea turtles to help understand what can be done to change the course of the life cycle for the animals.
About Zachary Clapp
