New England Aquarium Sea Turtle Tracking

A project of the New England Aquarium in conjunction with the partners and sponsors detailed below.

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Introduction

The New England Aquarium (NEAq) has been rehabilitating stranded sea turtles for more than twenty-five years. The majority of sea turtles that are treated at NEAq come from annual cold stun stranding events on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. Each fall and winter, juvenile and sub-adult sea turtles strand on Cape Cod beaches after experiencing cold-stunning. Cold stunning, or hypothermia, in sea turtles is thought to occur when the water temperature quickly drops below 50 degrees F (10 degrees C). Sudden cooling of ocean water temperatures leaves the turtles torpid and floating at the surface, unable to swim or dive, and allows them to be tossed by strong sustained storm winds onto the windward shore. Since the 1980s, NEAq has worked with the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary to save these threatened and endangered species.

The Aquarium has accomplished significant advancements to the field of veterinary medicine through our sea turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Program. Our achievements include a long list of publications in peer review journals and specialized training in reptile medicine for veterinarians around the United States and the globe. Over 80% of the cold stunned sea turtles admitted into our hospital are successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild.

For more in formation on the New England Aquarium Rescue Program please visit http://www.neaq.org/education_and_activities/blogs_webcams_videos_and_more/blogs/sea_turtle_rescue_blog/index.php

We wish to thank the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries for their continued support of the Massachusetts Sea Turtle Network.

Project Partners

The Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary's sea turtle research and rescue efforts over the past 25+ years have made significant contributions to the conservation of endangered and threatened sea turtles. More than 100 volunteers assist Mass Audubon scientists and field staff with the sea turtle project. For more information, visit www.massaudubon.org/wellfleet.

• The presentation of data here does not constitute publication. All data remain copyright of the project partners. Maps or data on this website may not be used or referenced without explicit written consent.
• For more information please visit the project website.
• If you have questions or would like to request the use of maps or data for this project please contact cmerigo@neaq.org.

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