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Oregon Sees Uptick In Sea Turtles Washing Ashore

That's the highest number of sea turtle strandings the state has seen in any given year, and twice what the state has recorded in previous years.

"It's a seasonal thing," said Jim Rice, program manager at Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Stranding Network. "During the winter months, in particular, we tend to see sea turtles succumbing to hypothermia."

During warmer seasons, different sea turtle species forage hundreds of miles off the West Coast. When temperatures decrease, these turtles typically migrate to warmer waters farther south. If they don't move in time, colder ocean temperatures can force their bodies into a hibernation state.

Although they might appear to be dead, turtles that wash up on the beach might simply be in a cold shock — though the two found last week did not survive.

"They're cold-blooded, so they're able to survive for a really, really long time," said Jim Burke, director of animal care at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. "But they're very much victims of the waves and the currents, and eventually they get pushed onto the beach."

The most recent turtle showed up on Sunset Beach in Clatsop County around Dec. 30. In a post on social media, staff with the Sunset Aquarium said the 40-pound Olive Ridley sea turtle was found dead.

A few days earlier, a Loggerhead sea turtle washed up on Short Beach in Tillamook County. Oregon State Police were able to transfer the turtle to the Oregon Coast Aquarium's rehabilitation center, but Burke said it didn't survive.

In a post on social media, staff with the Seaside Aquarium said the most recent strandings were likely due to a storm system moving up from the south. Winds can drive warm water currents — and foraging sea turtles — farther north and closer to shore than normal, the staff wrote. When the weather suddenly changes and temperatures drop, the turtles are then left stranded in cold water.

A similar phenomenon is happening on the East Coast, where hundreds of cold-stunned sea turtles can wash ashore in a matter of days. Researchers there have tied the occurrence to climate change.

Rice and Burke aren't sure why there were a high number of sea turtle strandings in Oregon last year, or why the phenomenon appears to be happening more frequently in the last two decades.

"It's hard to speculate about the ocean conditions because it's such a dynamic place," Burke said.

Oregon usually sees three kinds of turtles — Olive Ridley, Loggerhead and green turtles — and all are federally listed as either threatened or endangered species.

Rice said the increase in strandings could indicate that their populations are increasing. Burke said there could simply be more people documenting and reporting sea turtles strandings with smartphones, compared to previous decades.

People who find sea turtles stranded on a beach can report them to the Oregon State Police at 800-452-7888, or call a federal hotline at 866-767-6114, which is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries office.

"Do not touch the turtle, and certainly do not put it back into the water," Rice said. "If you put a live turtle that you see on the beach back into the ocean, it's most likely just going to suffer longer and it's not going to survive out there."


Loggerhead Marinelife Center Helping Treat, Protect Sea Turtles

JUNO BEACH, Florida (WPTV) — When area residents mention the town of Juno Beach, many people think of the Loggerhead Marinelife Center.

Dr. Justin Perrault, the vice president of research at the center, says being able to work at the center is a "dream job."

"I'm so lucky to be here," Perrault said.

Veterinarians and volunteers at Loggerhead Marinelife Center make it their mission to protect and rehabilitate beloved sea turtles.

"Justin, how many tanks do we have here at the center?" WPTV reporter Kate Wentzel asked Perrault.

"We have over 20 tanks," Perrault replied. "Sometimes those tanks can be divided in case we are over capacity … so we can treat dozens of turtles at a time."

From March to October, tens of thousands of sea turtles travel to Palm Beach County each year to lay their eggs on our sandy beaches.

There are two Florida beaches — located in Melbourne and Juno Beach — that are home to many of the state's turtle nests.

"We have probably the capacity to care for more sea turtles or as many sea turtles as any other place on the planet," Perrault said.

That's no small task.

"It truly is a miracle," he said. "These baby sea turtles have a very tough 24 hours when they are born."

The hatchlings have to swim about 5 to 10 miles out into the Sargasso Sea — a safe environment where they can grow and continue to thrive.

Whether it's a broken shell or an illness, there are four certified veterinary technicians available at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center to treat injured turtles.

On the day that WPTV was visiting the center, Marika Webber, a certified veterinary technician, was busy treating a very sick green turtle named Fritz who was fighting a virus.

"We found out they are very anemic," Webber said. "They also suffer from a virus. … They grow these tumors on them which can really cause a lot of health issues for them."

She said returning sea turtles like Fritz to the sea is their goal.

"What we all want to see is them back in the wild," Webber said. "That moment when you get to release them is special."

Whether you are a Floridian or just a visitor, getting the chance to see these sweet sea creatures at the facility is second to none.

"We have about over 300,000 guests every year that come here from all over the nation, in the world. We were recently voted the nation's best free attraction. We beat out a lot of really big names on the list," Perrault said.

The most memorable moment is watching a rehabilitated turtle return home to the sea. They receives substantial love and care at the center, but we all know there's no place like home.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

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