More Than 300 Cold-Stunned Turtles Rescued On Cape Cod: What To Know

CAPE COD, MA — The winter months bring plenty of cheer to Cape Cod and beyond, but for turtles in the waters around the Cape, the winter months can be deadly.

Sea turtles are ectothermic, meaning their body temperature is regulated by the temperature of the water they're swimming in. That means as the waters around Cape Cod cool, most turtles make their way south toward warmer temperatures.

But, every year, a number of juvenile sea turtles don't make the trip, leaving them susceptible to becoming cold-stunned as they are trapped by the hook of the Cape, Mass Audobon officials said. That can be deadly, which is where Mass Audobon comes in.

Those same officials tell Patch that, currently, they are in the midst of rescuing a number of turtles from these waters and transporting them for treatment to the New England Aquarium in Quincy.

On Thursday, Marketing and Communications Coordinator Jenette Kerr told Patch that they've already found 300 cold-stunned sea turtles, with more expected overnight due to high winds.

The turtles have been stranding from Dennis to Truro on the bayside, Kerr said, with most of them being the "critically endangered" Kemp's Ridleys sea turtles. Kerr also noted that an "unusual" number of green sea turtles have been stranded too.

Green sea turtles are less cold-tolerant than both ridleys and loggerhead turtles, the latter of which Kerr expects will start becoming stranded at any point.

All the turtles found have been juveniles between the ages of two and five and, according to Kerr, roughly 75 percent of these turtles have been alive when found by staff.

Since 1979, Wellfleet Bay staff and a corps of volunteers have patrolled the beaches during periods of high tide looking for the cold-stunned turtles. Any turtle they find is transported to the sanctuary, and then on to the New England Aquarium.

According to the aquarium, their sea turtle hospital has treated over 150 turtles so far in 2022. Officials say 120 ridleys turtles and 33 green turtles have been admitted to the hospital as of Tuesday, with many suffering from dehydration and pneumonia, clear signs of cold-stunning.

Though Mass Audobon have staff dedicated to looking out for and caring for these turtles, they also have steps for beachgoers to follow if they happen upon one. Most important for those people to know: Do not put the turtles back in the water.

"Our biggest worry is that people will try to return turtles to the water, which is bad because the animals are already badly compromised and need to get out of Cape Cod Bay, get emergency veterinary care, and eventually returned to southern waters," Kerr said.

If you do see a turtle, here are four steps recommended from Mass Audobon:

• Move the turtle above the high tide line. Never grab or hold the turtle by the head or flippers.
• Cover it with dry seaweed or wrack.
• Mark it with an obvious piece of debris—buoys, driftwood, or branches.
• Call the Wellfleet Bay hotline at 508-349-2615 x6104.