67 Sea Turtles Rescued In Barnstable

BARNSTABLE, MA — The season for rescuing sea turtles continued in Barnstable over the last few days with Natural Resources staff coming to the aid of 67 cold-stunned turtles. During the fall and winter months, it's common for sea turtles to suffer hypothermia-like symptoms as water temperatures decrease.

Among the rescued turtles were 62 Kemp ridleys, one green turtle and four loggerheads. Town officials said the turtles were washed ashore because of high winds the past few days.

"The winds have been howling out of the northeast which has been blowing them onto Sandy Neck and into Barnstable Harbor," town officials said on Facebook. "At this point the winds have died down and we are not expecting anymore turtles in the next few days.

Turtle rescue season started a bit early this year, especially for the loggerhead sea turtles. When a 50-to-60-pound loggerhead was found two weeks ago stranded at Harris Meadow, Nine Coleman, the director of Natural Resources, told Patch she was surprised. She said loggerheads usually aren't found cold-stunned until later in the season because they are much larger than other sea turtles found in Cape waters. Often, loggerheads aren't found cold-stunned until spring.

Town officials offered the following tips if you happen to find a cold-stunned turtle this winter:

1. Do not assume a turtle is dead. Turtles that appear lifeless are often still alive.
2. Move the turtle above the high tide line. Never grab or hold the turtle by the head or flippers.
3. Cover it with dry seaweed or wrack.
4. Mark it with an obvious piece of debris — buoys, driftwood, or branches.
5. Call the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary hotline at 508-349-2615 extension 6104.