Sea Turtle Arrives For R&R In North Carolina
MyNC.com - Raleigh,NC,USAThe patient, who arrived at Raligh-Durham International Airport on Thursday, is a Kemp's Ridleys sea turtle named "Wee Willie" - that's short for Willamena ...Link
Monday, May 11, 2009
Released Turtle, Judy, Dies
Corpus Christi Caller Times - Corpus Christi,TX,USA
Park officials tend to find between 200 to 725 sea turtles a year stranded along the beach. Judy had been stranded before along the National Seashore in ...Link
Park officials tend to find between 200 to 725 sea turtles a year stranded along the beach. Judy had been stranded before along the National Seashore in ...Link
Gabon Celebrates National Sea Turtle Day!
Gabon is a very special place for sea turtles. At least four species visit its waters and shores to reproduce and feed. Gabon also hosts the largest nesting aggregation of leatherback turtles in the world! To highlight Gabon's importance on the worldwide stage of sea turtle conservation, the Gabon Sea Turtle Partnership has organized the second annual National Sea Turtle Day.The first two National Sea Turtle Day events took place in Cap Esterias and Libreville, Gabon, engaging local students and community members with skits, poetry, art contests and quizzes. As part of the Cap Esterias event a student gave a speech that pleaded with parents and others present to help protect sea turtles so that when she is grown, she will be able to see them with her own children. During the Libreville event, noted Gabonese chanteuse, Annie Flore Batchiellilys, asked the crowd to do their part to protect sea turtles for the next generation, saying...Nature is a gift that we are lent, not given, and we must take care of it for those who follow us. By saving nature, we save our culture.Two more events will be held in Mayumba (25 April) and Gamba (2 May). Student winners are being selected at each event to adopt and name a satellite tagged leatherback turtle from the Gabon 2008-09: Leatherback Turtles Project.The winner in Cap Esterias was Valeria Metolo, who drew a beautiful nesting green turtle. She was presented with a Certificate of Adoption for a satellite tagged leatherback turtle that she named Popo. The winner in Libreville was Teresa Lieutenant and she named her turtle Teresa.Learn more about Gabon's sea turtles:Gabon Sea Turtle Partnership Gabon 2008-09: Leatherback Turtles Gabon Olive Ridley Project
Monday, April 13, 2009
Helping Injured Turtles Swim Again...
One-flipper turtle gets Ninja suit to help it swim
Houston Chronicle - United States
2009 AP SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas — Turtle rescuers have demonstrated the first fin suit designed to allow a green sea turtle that lost three of its ... Link to Story
Houston Chronicle - United States
2009 AP SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas — Turtle rescuers have demonstrated the first fin suit designed to allow a green sea turtle that lost three of its ... Link to Story
Local Experts Observe for Ike's Aftereffects on Nesting Sea Turtles
Team seeks signs of at-risk turtles' return to nesting sites
Houston Chronicle - United States
By MOISES MENDOZA
Conservationists such as Donna Shaver, chief of the National Park Service’s Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery, are expecting ... Link to Story
Houston Chronicle - United States
By MOISES MENDOZA
Conservationists such as Donna Shaver, chief of the National Park Service’s Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery, are expecting ... Link to Story
Sea Turtle Nesting Season Begins!
Sea Turtle Nesting Season Begins
KERA - Dallas,TX,USA
The gulf coast weather is warming up, meaning that it's the beginning of the sea turtle nesting season. Wildlife experts say beach-goers can help the ... Link to Story
KERA - Dallas,TX,USA
The gulf coast weather is warming up, meaning that it's the beginning of the sea turtle nesting season. Wildlife experts say beach-goers can help the ... Link to Story
Ninja Turtle Stops Swimming in Circles
Ninja Turtle Stops Swimming Around In Circles
News 8 KFMB - San Diego,CA,USA
Allison was rescued by Sea Turtle Inc., a Texas-based non-profit that helps rehabilitate injured sea turtles. After helping her heal from her traumatic ... Link to story
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Group trying to develop artificial limbs for amputee loggerhead
The Japan Times - Japan
The group knows it will be a challenge: There is no known successful case of artificial limbs being attached to sea turtles, which have fragile bones and ...MORE
The group knows it will be a challenge: There is no known successful case of artificial limbs being attached to sea turtles, which have fragile bones and ...MORE
Monday, February 16, 2009
Satellite tracked sea turtle swims in Google Ocean
Deep-Sea News - Durham,NC,USA
Now, Adelita's the first turtle to swim through Google's Ocean, quickly becoming one of the most famous sea turtles in the world, joining the ranks of ... MORE
Deep-Sea News - Durham,NC,USA
Now, Adelita's the first turtle to swim through Google's Ocean, quickly becoming one of the most famous sea turtles in the world, joining the ranks of ... MORE
Navy training impact on gulf studied
The News Herald - Panama City,FL,USA
"We did look at endangered species, sea turtles, marine mammals and consulted with (regulatory agencies) on potential effects on species, ...
MORE
Gulf Council Votes to Protect Sea Turtles from Bottom Longlines
KTRE - Lufkin,TX,USA
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council voted Thursday (10-7) to take immediate action to protect sea turtles from the bottom longline sector of the ...
MORE
KTRE - Lufkin,TX,USA
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council voted Thursday (10-7) to take immediate action to protect sea turtles from the bottom longline sector of the ...
MORE
Monday, January 26, 2009
Fisheries and Conservationists Meet Over Net Bycatch
PROGRESS MADE TOWARDS MITIGATING SEA TURTLE BYCATCH IN COASTAL NET ...World-Wire (press release) - USA
The three-day Technical Workshop on Mitigating Sea Turtle Bycatch in Coastal Net Fisheries, which concluded Thursday in Honolulu, made significant strides ... Full Story link below:
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Death of Endangered Turtle Signals Need for Vigilance on Texas Beaches
Plain Text — E-mail
News Release
Media Contact: Tom Harvey, (512) 389-4453, tom.harvey@tpwd.state.tx.us
June 2, 2008
Death of Endangered Turtle Signals Need for Vigilance on Texas Beaches
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As best anyone can tell, sometime during the middle of May a female Kemp’s ridley turtle crawled out of the surf on South Padre Island and was struck by a passing vehicle. The cautionary tale illustrates why biologists are asking beachgoers to keep an eye out for the endangered sea turtles and report sightings.
Injured and confused, the turtle returned to the warm Gulf waters for nearly a week. Then, on May 23, the turtle came ashore again. After the animal successfully deposited her clutch of eggs in the sand, volunteers noticed her injuries and took her to Sea Turtle, Inc. There, a veterinarian noted the severe infection and estimated the turtle had only about a week to live. She was euthanized the following day.
The Kemp’s ridley turtle’s extraordinary drive to reproduce bodes well for the world’s smallest marine turtle species. Weighing-in at about 100 pounds as adults, the turtles once came ashore on Gulf of Mexico beaches — in northern Mexico mostly, but also in South Texas — in the tens of thousands in a phenomenon known as an arribada (arrival).
Then, the population collapsed, with the total number of observed nesting turtles as recently as two decades ago sinking to just several hundred individuals.
Today, the news for the ridley (it’s still listed as an endangered species) is mostly good-more of these turtles continue to nest on Texas beaches than in past years, including some who were reared in captivity and released years ago and are now returning to nest as adults.
As of May 28, 106 nests have been reported on Texas beaches, from Bolivar Peninsula on the upper coast to Boca Chica at the Rio Grande. May 17 set a one-day observation record of 19 nests.
"Unless this is a very early nesting year, it’s likely we will set another record for Kemp’s ridleys nesting on the Texas coast," said Donna Shaver, Ph.D., chief of the sea turtle science and recovery program at Padre Island National Seashore. Some 128 nests were recorded last year, the largest number since monitoring began in 1980.
The recent run of sea turtle sightings signals the arrival of peak turtle nesting season in Texas that may last through mid-July.
For the past several years, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has worked with a host of other agencies including the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, Gladys Porter Zoo, University of Texas, officials in Mexico and others to restore the Kemp’s ridley.
To protect as many sea turtles as possible, the Padre Island National Seashore incubates most of the sea turtle eggs found along the Texas coast and releases the hatchlings into the Gulf of Mexico.
Shaver urged beachgoers to be especially vigilant through mid-July, particularly on windy days when the turtles are most likely to come ashore.
"Reduce your speed while driving on the beach," she said. "The turtles often cross the vehicular roadway on the beach, and might nest anywhere from the high tide line to the dunes. They will not and cannot move for an approaching vehicle and blend-in very well with the both sand and vegetation."
Shaver encourages people who do sight a nesting sea turtle to mark the nest without disturbing the animal and to flag down a passing "turtle patrol." If mobile phone reception is available, call 1-866-TURTLES, she said.
"Observations from the public are very important," Shaver noted. "Up to about half the nests located on the Texas coast each year are due to reports from the public."
The public also can witness sea turtle hatchling releases at the national seashore on certain dates mid-June through August. The releases usually take place around 6:45 a.m. and are free to attend-see the national seashore sea turtle Web pages for details. General information about Kemp’s ridley turtles also is available on the TPWD Web site.
News Release
Media Contact: Tom Harvey, (512) 389-4453, tom.harvey@tpwd.state.tx.us
June 2, 2008
Death of Endangered Turtle Signals Need for Vigilance on Texas Beaches
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As best anyone can tell, sometime during the middle of May a female Kemp’s ridley turtle crawled out of the surf on South Padre Island and was struck by a passing vehicle. The cautionary tale illustrates why biologists are asking beachgoers to keep an eye out for the endangered sea turtles and report sightings.
Injured and confused, the turtle returned to the warm Gulf waters for nearly a week. Then, on May 23, the turtle came ashore again. After the animal successfully deposited her clutch of eggs in the sand, volunteers noticed her injuries and took her to Sea Turtle, Inc. There, a veterinarian noted the severe infection and estimated the turtle had only about a week to live. She was euthanized the following day.
The Kemp’s ridley turtle’s extraordinary drive to reproduce bodes well for the world’s smallest marine turtle species. Weighing-in at about 100 pounds as adults, the turtles once came ashore on Gulf of Mexico beaches — in northern Mexico mostly, but also in South Texas — in the tens of thousands in a phenomenon known as an arribada (arrival).
Then, the population collapsed, with the total number of observed nesting turtles as recently as two decades ago sinking to just several hundred individuals.
Today, the news for the ridley (it’s still listed as an endangered species) is mostly good-more of these turtles continue to nest on Texas beaches than in past years, including some who were reared in captivity and released years ago and are now returning to nest as adults.
As of May 28, 106 nests have been reported on Texas beaches, from Bolivar Peninsula on the upper coast to Boca Chica at the Rio Grande. May 17 set a one-day observation record of 19 nests.
"Unless this is a very early nesting year, it’s likely we will set another record for Kemp’s ridleys nesting on the Texas coast," said Donna Shaver, Ph.D., chief of the sea turtle science and recovery program at Padre Island National Seashore. Some 128 nests were recorded last year, the largest number since monitoring began in 1980.
The recent run of sea turtle sightings signals the arrival of peak turtle nesting season in Texas that may last through mid-July.
For the past several years, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has worked with a host of other agencies including the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, Gladys Porter Zoo, University of Texas, officials in Mexico and others to restore the Kemp’s ridley.
To protect as many sea turtles as possible, the Padre Island National Seashore incubates most of the sea turtle eggs found along the Texas coast and releases the hatchlings into the Gulf of Mexico.
Shaver urged beachgoers to be especially vigilant through mid-July, particularly on windy days when the turtles are most likely to come ashore.
"Reduce your speed while driving on the beach," she said. "The turtles often cross the vehicular roadway on the beach, and might nest anywhere from the high tide line to the dunes. They will not and cannot move for an approaching vehicle and blend-in very well with the both sand and vegetation."
Shaver encourages people who do sight a nesting sea turtle to mark the nest without disturbing the animal and to flag down a passing "turtle patrol." If mobile phone reception is available, call 1-866-TURTLES, she said.
"Observations from the public are very important," Shaver noted. "Up to about half the nests located on the Texas coast each year are due to reports from the public."
The public also can witness sea turtle hatchling releases at the national seashore on certain dates mid-June through August. The releases usually take place around 6:45 a.m. and are free to attend-see the national seashore sea turtle Web pages for details. General information about Kemp’s ridley turtles also is available on the TPWD Web site.
Slwoly but Surely, Turtle Numbers Rise
By Mary Ann Cavazos
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Caller-Times file Beach-goers are encouraged to be on the lookout for Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests through mid-July. So far this year, 161 nests have been reported on Texas beaches.
CORPUS CHRISTI — For the fifth consecutive year, record numbers of Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests have been found along the Texas coast, with more nests found halfway through this season than during the entire season last year.
With more than a month left in the turtles' nesting season, which began in April and lasts through mid-July, 161 nests have been reported on Texas beaches. That surpasses last year's record season of 128.
Donna Shaver, chief of the division of sea turtle science and recovery at the Padre Island National Seashore, said the high numbers reflect years of conservation efforts and a more informed public.
Of the nests found so far, 87 were on North Padre Island, including 77 at the Padre Island National Seashore.
Another record was set this year on Tuesday, when 23 nests were found along the Texas coast -- the highest number ever found in a single day since officials began keeping track in 1980.
Kemp's ridley sea turtles have been on the endangered species list since 1970. Adults reach about two feet in length and weigh up to 100 pounds, making the species one of the smallest of the sea turtles, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Two decades ago, nests rarely were found, with only one or two spotted every couple of years, Shaver said.
Last year, more than 10,000 sea turtle hatchlings were released on Texas beaches and most hatched from this area.
National Park service staff and volunteers patrol local beaches daily in search of the nests. But it is beach-goers who still find nearly half the nests on the Texas coast each year, which makes an educated public so vital, Shaver said.
"We're working harder every year to inform the public," she said.
Part of increasing public awareness comes from the hatchling releases. Shaver said the next release likely will be held in the next week when the next group of hatchlings will be ready to enter the Gulf of Mexico.
Shaver said beach visitors should especially be on the lookout for turtle nests on windy days when the females are most likely to come ashore to lay eggs. The wind keeps the sea turtles cooler and blows away their tracks in the sand, which helps protect them from predators.
Those who find a nest should report it immediately and try to mark its location only after the turtle has laid the eggs and is sitting nearly motionless.
Shaver said the progress made is encouraging but that the species is unlikely to be out of danger anytime soon.
"There's a lot still to be done but we're moving in the right direction," she said.
Contact Mary Ann Cavazos at 886-3623 or cavazosm@caller.com
© 2008 Scripps Texas Newspapers, L.P. A Scripps Howard newspaper. All Rights Reserved. Site users are subject to our User Agreement. Read our privacy policy. Questions? Comments? Contact us.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Caller-Times file Beach-goers are encouraged to be on the lookout for Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests through mid-July. So far this year, 161 nests have been reported on Texas beaches.
CORPUS CHRISTI — For the fifth consecutive year, record numbers of Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests have been found along the Texas coast, with more nests found halfway through this season than during the entire season last year.
With more than a month left in the turtles' nesting season, which began in April and lasts through mid-July, 161 nests have been reported on Texas beaches. That surpasses last year's record season of 128.
Donna Shaver, chief of the division of sea turtle science and recovery at the Padre Island National Seashore, said the high numbers reflect years of conservation efforts and a more informed public.
Of the nests found so far, 87 were on North Padre Island, including 77 at the Padre Island National Seashore.
Another record was set this year on Tuesday, when 23 nests were found along the Texas coast -- the highest number ever found in a single day since officials began keeping track in 1980.
Kemp's ridley sea turtles have been on the endangered species list since 1970. Adults reach about two feet in length and weigh up to 100 pounds, making the species one of the smallest of the sea turtles, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Two decades ago, nests rarely were found, with only one or two spotted every couple of years, Shaver said.
Last year, more than 10,000 sea turtle hatchlings were released on Texas beaches and most hatched from this area.
National Park service staff and volunteers patrol local beaches daily in search of the nests. But it is beach-goers who still find nearly half the nests on the Texas coast each year, which makes an educated public so vital, Shaver said.
"We're working harder every year to inform the public," she said.
Part of increasing public awareness comes from the hatchling releases. Shaver said the next release likely will be held in the next week when the next group of hatchlings will be ready to enter the Gulf of Mexico.
Shaver said beach visitors should especially be on the lookout for turtle nests on windy days when the females are most likely to come ashore to lay eggs. The wind keeps the sea turtles cooler and blows away their tracks in the sand, which helps protect them from predators.
Those who find a nest should report it immediately and try to mark its location only after the turtle has laid the eggs and is sitting nearly motionless.
Shaver said the progress made is encouraging but that the species is unlikely to be out of danger anytime soon.
"There's a lot still to be done but we're moving in the right direction," she said.
Contact Mary Ann Cavazos at 886-3623 or cavazosm@caller.com
© 2008 Scripps Texas Newspapers, L.P. A Scripps Howard newspaper. All Rights Reserved. Site users are subject to our User Agreement. Read our privacy policy. Questions? Comments? Contact us.
Sea Turtle Strandings Down, Experts Say
By Rhiannon Meyers
The Daily News
Published June 2, 2008
Protected sea turtles are washing up dead or injured along the Texas and Mexico Gulf Coast, but officials say they are arriving in far fewer numbers than in years past.
In the past eight years, the number of stranded sea turtles has steadily decreased, excluding a bizarre cold snap in 2007 that killed off hundreds of endangered green turtles.
Conservationists are pointing to the decline in standings as proof that controversial turtle excluder devices work.
“They are not 100 percent effective, but they’ve certainly saved the lives of many turtles,” said Donna Shaver, chief of the division of sea turtle science and recovery at Padre Island National Seashore. “Most folks agree, turtle excluder devices are a big contributor to the rise in the Kemp’s ridley population.”
A turtle excluder device is a grid of metal bars that sits in the neck of a trawl net. The bars let shrimp through but block turtles and eject them through an opening in the net.
The devices were mandated in 1987, and after at least 10 court cases, upheld by a judge in 1991.
Before turtle excluder devices were required on shrimp trawlers, it was common to find the beach littered with turtle carcasses three to four days after shrimp season opened, said Marydelle Donnelly with the Caribbean Conservation Corp. and Sea Turtle Survival League.
Since the advent of the excluder devices, the state of Texas, where boats are monitored by agents from the state’s fish and wildlife department and by federal agents from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, has done a good job protecting sea turtles, Donnelly said. Today, federal agents log an average of 31 violations of turtle excluder devices per year, said Monica Allen, spokeswoman of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association.
Still, the government will never fully be able to stop strandings that are caused by human hands or by natural events, such as cold snaps, she said.
It’s not clear what’s killing the turtles that have been washing up on the beach this year.
Most of them are so mangled or decayed it’s hard to say what they died from.
For example, in one month alone, 53 turtles were found dead along the Gulf Coast in Texas and Mexico, according to reports from the Padre Island National Seashore ranger station. Another 14 were found alive but sickly.
In many cases, the turtles were missing their heads, eyes, tails and flippers, the report states. In other cases, the turtles were found dead with gashes or cracks in their shells. Some were tangled in rope wrapped around their necks or flippers. Some were alive, but had swallowed fishing line or had injuries to their flippers and shells, according to the report.
It’s clear that some are being struck by boat propellers, but conservationists aren’t sure if that’s what’s causing their deaths or whether they are already dead when they are struck by boats, Donnelly said.
Missing heads, tails or flippers could be the work of scavengers like coyotes that feed off the turtle carcasses when they wash up on shore, Shaver said.
At least, there are no clear indications from the stranding reports that humans are butchering the turtles, she said.
There have been some reports that there are “more suspicious” turtle deaths in the areas between the Texas-Louisiana border and Freeport, but Shaver declined to talk about those since she had not seen the carcasses.
Shana Kethan of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration reports on stranded turtles in that region, which includes Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula. She declined to talk about the carcasses, referring all questions to Shaver.
Carole Allen is Gulf Office director of the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, part of a nonprofit environmental group in California called Turtle Island Restoration Network.
Allen has butted heads through the years with shrimpers about turtle protection laws, and she argues that fishermen are killing the sea turtles.
Allen, who said she found three dead Kemp’s ridley sea turtles on Bolivar Peninsula in late April, said she thinks the missing heads and flippers are indicative of slaughter, not predators.
“The report will say, ‘It looks like a propeller hit the turtle’ or maybe it was a great big machete knife?” she said.
She has asked state and federal agents to step up law enforcement in the area because she suspects fisherman and shrimpers are not properly using their turtle excluder devices. She’s lobbying for the state to prohibit shrimping within 5 nautical miles of the shoreline year-round to protect sea turtles.
The good news, though, about endangered sea turtles is that many of them appear to be making a comeback, Donnelly said. Nestlings, especially among Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, are up, while standings are down.
“Kemp’s ridleys have been doing much better in the past 10 years,” Donnelly said.
+++
By the numbers
The number of turtle standings along the Gulf Coast in Texas and Mexico:
2000 — 389 2001 — 375 2002 — 327 2003 — 221 2004 — 297 2005 — 255 2006 — 271 2007 — 717 2008 — 177
The Daily News
Published June 2, 2008
Protected sea turtles are washing up dead or injured along the Texas and Mexico Gulf Coast, but officials say they are arriving in far fewer numbers than in years past.
In the past eight years, the number of stranded sea turtles has steadily decreased, excluding a bizarre cold snap in 2007 that killed off hundreds of endangered green turtles.
Conservationists are pointing to the decline in standings as proof that controversial turtle excluder devices work.
“They are not 100 percent effective, but they’ve certainly saved the lives of many turtles,” said Donna Shaver, chief of the division of sea turtle science and recovery at Padre Island National Seashore. “Most folks agree, turtle excluder devices are a big contributor to the rise in the Kemp’s ridley population.”
A turtle excluder device is a grid of metal bars that sits in the neck of a trawl net. The bars let shrimp through but block turtles and eject them through an opening in the net.
The devices were mandated in 1987, and after at least 10 court cases, upheld by a judge in 1991.
Before turtle excluder devices were required on shrimp trawlers, it was common to find the beach littered with turtle carcasses three to four days after shrimp season opened, said Marydelle Donnelly with the Caribbean Conservation Corp. and Sea Turtle Survival League.
Since the advent of the excluder devices, the state of Texas, where boats are monitored by agents from the state’s fish and wildlife department and by federal agents from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, has done a good job protecting sea turtles, Donnelly said. Today, federal agents log an average of 31 violations of turtle excluder devices per year, said Monica Allen, spokeswoman of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association.
Still, the government will never fully be able to stop strandings that are caused by human hands or by natural events, such as cold snaps, she said.
It’s not clear what’s killing the turtles that have been washing up on the beach this year.
Most of them are so mangled or decayed it’s hard to say what they died from.
For example, in one month alone, 53 turtles were found dead along the Gulf Coast in Texas and Mexico, according to reports from the Padre Island National Seashore ranger station. Another 14 were found alive but sickly.
In many cases, the turtles were missing their heads, eyes, tails and flippers, the report states. In other cases, the turtles were found dead with gashes or cracks in their shells. Some were tangled in rope wrapped around their necks or flippers. Some were alive, but had swallowed fishing line or had injuries to their flippers and shells, according to the report.
It’s clear that some are being struck by boat propellers, but conservationists aren’t sure if that’s what’s causing their deaths or whether they are already dead when they are struck by boats, Donnelly said.
Missing heads, tails or flippers could be the work of scavengers like coyotes that feed off the turtle carcasses when they wash up on shore, Shaver said.
At least, there are no clear indications from the stranding reports that humans are butchering the turtles, she said.
There have been some reports that there are “more suspicious” turtle deaths in the areas between the Texas-Louisiana border and Freeport, but Shaver declined to talk about those since she had not seen the carcasses.
Shana Kethan of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration reports on stranded turtles in that region, which includes Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula. She declined to talk about the carcasses, referring all questions to Shaver.
Carole Allen is Gulf Office director of the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, part of a nonprofit environmental group in California called Turtle Island Restoration Network.
Allen has butted heads through the years with shrimpers about turtle protection laws, and she argues that fishermen are killing the sea turtles.
Allen, who said she found three dead Kemp’s ridley sea turtles on Bolivar Peninsula in late April, said she thinks the missing heads and flippers are indicative of slaughter, not predators.
“The report will say, ‘It looks like a propeller hit the turtle’ or maybe it was a great big machete knife?” she said.
She has asked state and federal agents to step up law enforcement in the area because she suspects fisherman and shrimpers are not properly using their turtle excluder devices. She’s lobbying for the state to prohibit shrimping within 5 nautical miles of the shoreline year-round to protect sea turtles.
The good news, though, about endangered sea turtles is that many of them appear to be making a comeback, Donnelly said. Nestlings, especially among Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, are up, while standings are down.
“Kemp’s ridleys have been doing much better in the past 10 years,” Donnelly said.
+++
By the numbers
The number of turtle standings along the Gulf Coast in Texas and Mexico:
2000 — 389 2001 — 375 2002 — 327 2003 — 221 2004 — 297 2005 — 255 2006 — 271 2007 — 717 2008 — 177
Dozens of Sea Turtles Found Dead on Mexican Beaches
Associated Press
ACAPULCO, MEXICO — Environmental officials in Mexico say dozens of dead sea turtles apparently killed in fishing nets have washed up on beaches in recent days.
Authorities say 59 Olive Ridley turtles have been found on beaches in and around the resort of
Acapulco.
Environmental protection officer Manuel de Jesus Solis says his agency found 12 dead turtles
bearing marks apparently caused by fishing nets. It was unclear which fishing boats were involved.
Victor Berdejo says another 47 dead turtles were found by personnel at a turtle-protection area he supervises. The sea turtles, once hunted in Mexico for their meat and eggs, were declared a protected species in 1990. Fishermen are required to include turtle escape devices in their nets.
ACAPULCO, MEXICO — Environmental officials in Mexico say dozens of dead sea turtles apparently killed in fishing nets have washed up on beaches in recent days.
Authorities say 59 Olive Ridley turtles have been found on beaches in and around the resort of
Acapulco.
Environmental protection officer Manuel de Jesus Solis says his agency found 12 dead turtles
bearing marks apparently caused by fishing nets. It was unclear which fishing boats were involved.
Victor Berdejo says another 47 dead turtles were found by personnel at a turtle-protection area he supervises. The sea turtles, once hunted in Mexico for their meat and eggs, were declared a protected species in 1990. Fishermen are required to include turtle escape devices in their nets.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Quick Trip to Island Turns into Longer Stay
By Steve Alexander Contributor
Published May 20, 2008
Ila visited Galveston Island on May 1, neither waiting for the weekend nor peak tourist season. She neither searched the island for the perfect secluded beach nor carried an umbrella and chair onto the sand.Ila did none of these things, because Ila is a female Kemp’s ridley sea turtle that visited Galveston Island for one purpose: to lay eggs in the sand.
As she made her way up the beach, she was spotted by a county employee who alerted local biologists. They arrived within minutes and watched as she dropped 109 eggs into a hole she dug in a sand pile at the base of the seawall at 39th Street. After laying her eggs, her plan to make her way back into the Gulf of Mexico literally ran aground as she was picked up by biologists and placed into a container for transport to the NOAA Sea Turtle Facility at Fort Crockett.
So instead of a quick egg-laying visit to the island, Ila’s visit lasted all afternoon.I met Ila at the NOAA Sea Turtle Facility after receiving a call from Christi Hughes, a graduate student working on her master’s degree with Andre Landry at Texas A&M University at Galveston.
Jack Clason, a fellow Texas master naturalist and sea turtle patroller, helped me lift Ila out of the transport container and carry her to a large foam-padded container nearby. There, she spent the afternoon surrounded by admiring biologists, naturalists, sea turtle patrollers and visiting students. With all eyes upon her, we soon noticed the tag scar on her right flipper and the living tag (white circle) on her back. The tag scar and position of the living tag indicated that she had spent her first year at this same facility 16 years ago. She had returned home.Christi was assigned the task of naming her and she chose the name Ila, in honor of “The Turtle Lady” of South Padre Island, Ila Loetscher, a tireless champion for the cause of sea turtle conservation. Christi was also responsible for attaching her research name, clamping onto her left front flipper a new tag bearing the number RRV383. Ila was then fitted with a satellite transmitter on her back so future movements could be monitored, thus aiding in the knowledge of where Kemp’s ridley turtles go after nesting.
Such information will help scientists as they continue work to bring the Kemp’s ridley back from near extinction.To do its job, the transmitter had to be securely fastened, so it was “glued” onto her back. While the “glue” dried, it was important to keep her as still as possible. Although I tried to keep her still, at times she overpowered my will by using the flipper strength she had developed from 16 years of swimming in the Gulf of Mexico.
At times during her stay, Ila seemed, as best I can describe, anxious, moving from one corner to another, trying to find a way out. And on occasion, she would let out an audible sigh. I think these expressed her desire to be swimming again in the salty waters of the Gulf.
But her stay wasn’t over; it required one more thing: an ultrasound.A staff member from the Houston Zoo bent over Ila and moved a probe around under her shell. There then appeared on the screen images that looked like grapes, but were in actuality developing eggs. Apparently, Ila’s role as a mother is not over yet. She will likely be visiting another beach this year to lay a new batch of eggs.After being the object of our affection all afternoon, it was time to let Ila go. She was loaded onto the truck and taken back to 39th Street. When placed on the sand by sea turtle patrollers, at first she didn’t move. When she was picked up and moved closer to the water, she then knew where she was. Her flippers dug into the sand and carried her toward the water. Before long, she disappeared into the surf.
Since her release, satellite tracking indicates that Ila has traveled southwest along Galveston Island and down the Texas coast, and as of this writing, is swimming offshore near Matagorda Island, some 125 miles from where she was released. You can follow her future travels at www.seaturtle.org/tracking.
As for her eggs, they were transported to Padre Island National Seashore, where they are now being safely incubated. Upon hatching, Ila’s young will be released into the surf to take up lives of their own.
Ila’s story is just one part of the remarkable story of the continuing recovery of the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. But the story is unfinished. Perhaps you can help write the ending. Report any sea turtles or sea turtle tracks you see by calling 1-866-TURTLE-5.
Steve Alexander, a retired marine scientist, lives in Bayou Vista.
Published May 20, 2008
Ila visited Galveston Island on May 1, neither waiting for the weekend nor peak tourist season. She neither searched the island for the perfect secluded beach nor carried an umbrella and chair onto the sand.Ila did none of these things, because Ila is a female Kemp’s ridley sea turtle that visited Galveston Island for one purpose: to lay eggs in the sand.
As she made her way up the beach, she was spotted by a county employee who alerted local biologists. They arrived within minutes and watched as she dropped 109 eggs into a hole she dug in a sand pile at the base of the seawall at 39th Street. After laying her eggs, her plan to make her way back into the Gulf of Mexico literally ran aground as she was picked up by biologists and placed into a container for transport to the NOAA Sea Turtle Facility at Fort Crockett.
So instead of a quick egg-laying visit to the island, Ila’s visit lasted all afternoon.I met Ila at the NOAA Sea Turtle Facility after receiving a call from Christi Hughes, a graduate student working on her master’s degree with Andre Landry at Texas A&M University at Galveston.
Jack Clason, a fellow Texas master naturalist and sea turtle patroller, helped me lift Ila out of the transport container and carry her to a large foam-padded container nearby. There, she spent the afternoon surrounded by admiring biologists, naturalists, sea turtle patrollers and visiting students. With all eyes upon her, we soon noticed the tag scar on her right flipper and the living tag (white circle) on her back. The tag scar and position of the living tag indicated that she had spent her first year at this same facility 16 years ago. She had returned home.Christi was assigned the task of naming her and she chose the name Ila, in honor of “The Turtle Lady” of South Padre Island, Ila Loetscher, a tireless champion for the cause of sea turtle conservation. Christi was also responsible for attaching her research name, clamping onto her left front flipper a new tag bearing the number RRV383. Ila was then fitted with a satellite transmitter on her back so future movements could be monitored, thus aiding in the knowledge of where Kemp’s ridley turtles go after nesting.
Such information will help scientists as they continue work to bring the Kemp’s ridley back from near extinction.To do its job, the transmitter had to be securely fastened, so it was “glued” onto her back. While the “glue” dried, it was important to keep her as still as possible. Although I tried to keep her still, at times she overpowered my will by using the flipper strength she had developed from 16 years of swimming in the Gulf of Mexico.
At times during her stay, Ila seemed, as best I can describe, anxious, moving from one corner to another, trying to find a way out. And on occasion, she would let out an audible sigh. I think these expressed her desire to be swimming again in the salty waters of the Gulf.
But her stay wasn’t over; it required one more thing: an ultrasound.A staff member from the Houston Zoo bent over Ila and moved a probe around under her shell. There then appeared on the screen images that looked like grapes, but were in actuality developing eggs. Apparently, Ila’s role as a mother is not over yet. She will likely be visiting another beach this year to lay a new batch of eggs.After being the object of our affection all afternoon, it was time to let Ila go. She was loaded onto the truck and taken back to 39th Street. When placed on the sand by sea turtle patrollers, at first she didn’t move. When she was picked up and moved closer to the water, she then knew where she was. Her flippers dug into the sand and carried her toward the water. Before long, she disappeared into the surf.
Since her release, satellite tracking indicates that Ila has traveled southwest along Galveston Island and down the Texas coast, and as of this writing, is swimming offshore near Matagorda Island, some 125 miles from where she was released. You can follow her future travels at www.seaturtle.org/tracking.
As for her eggs, they were transported to Padre Island National Seashore, where they are now being safely incubated. Upon hatching, Ila’s young will be released into the surf to take up lives of their own.
Ila’s story is just one part of the remarkable story of the continuing recovery of the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. But the story is unfinished. Perhaps you can help write the ending. Report any sea turtles or sea turtle tracks you see by calling 1-866-TURTLE-5.
Steve Alexander, a retired marine scientist, lives in Bayou Vista.
Leatherback Protection Needs Comments
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The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is once again considering a permit to allow swordfish longline fishing along the U.S. west coast in a critical habitat area for the critically endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle. Longline fishing is a highly destructive fishing method that uses 1000's of hooks deployed on a line that can be up to 60 miles long. Each year, hundreds of thousands of marine wildlife species are caught, entangled or drowned by longlines: including the critically endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle, whales, dolphins, sea lions, seabirds, sharks, billfish and other fish species. California banned swordfish longline fishing within their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) - the distance 3-200 miles from shore - in 1977 due to the high by-catch of marine species by longlines. In 2004, this ban was extended by the federal government to include the entire U.S. west coast.Send a letter to NMFS today! Click here to help us protect the marine wildlife you care about!
Deadline for comments is May 27, 2008.
Sea Turtle Restoration Project Email News and Updates PO Box 370, Forest Knolls, CA 94933 USA
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is once again considering a permit to allow swordfish longline fishing along the U.S. west coast in a critical habitat area for the critically endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle. Longline fishing is a highly destructive fishing method that uses 1000's of hooks deployed on a line that can be up to 60 miles long. Each year, hundreds of thousands of marine wildlife species are caught, entangled or drowned by longlines: including the critically endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle, whales, dolphins, sea lions, seabirds, sharks, billfish and other fish species. California banned swordfish longline fishing within their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) - the distance 3-200 miles from shore - in 1977 due to the high by-catch of marine species by longlines. In 2004, this ban was extended by the federal government to include the entire U.S. west coast.Send a letter to NMFS today! Click here to help us protect the marine wildlife you care about!
Deadline for comments is May 27, 2008.
Sea Turtle Restoration Project Email News and Updates PO Box 370, Forest Knolls, CA 94933 USA
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