Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center

The shores of Cape Cod, renowned for their natural beauty, are also notorious for the surge of stranded sea turtles they experience each autumn. During the summer months, sea turtles ride the Gulf Stream current north to New England, where they thrive in the food-rich waters of Stellwagen Bank. However, as autumn approaches with cooling waters and shorter days, it signals to the turtles that it’s time to migrate back to the equatorial latitudes. Due to Cape Cod’s unique hook-like topography, turtles swimming south along the east coast often become trapped in the bay, unable to escape before the onset of cold weather. As exothermic reptiles, turtles cannot generate their own heat, so they often experience cold stun, or worse, hypothermia. In this state, they become lethargic, struggle to swim, and become more susceptible to infection. The number of turtles being caught flat-flippered (get it?) each year, has risen dramatically as changing weather patterns complicate their ability to predict when to migrate. Efforts by organizations like the New England Aquarium (NEAQ) aim to mitigate the impact of these challenges by rescuing stranded turtles and giving them a second chance.

My involvement began under the guidance of Adam Kennedy, the chief veterinarian at NEAQ’s Marine Rehabilitation and Care Center in Quincy. The center offers essential quarantine and rehabilitation services amid a maze of humming tanks, operating rooms, and a devoted team of veterinarians, interns, and volunteers tirelessly working to nurse these animals back to health. With an impressive success rate of approximately 90 percent, the majority of turtles recover and are subsequently flown to Florida for release into the warmer waters. The most commonly stranded species include the endangered hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the critically endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii). Given that there are only an estimated 7,000 Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles left in the entire world, it’s no exaggeration to say that these rescue efforts are preventing the species from tipping into extinction. Each turtle, marked for identification, undergoes a meticulous rehabilitation process tailored to their unique needs. For instance, turtle 479, recovering from a boat strike, required surgery to address an infected lung and necrotic tissue. This year had the highest number of strandings ever recorded with nearly 800 individuals rescued by the team. Collaborating with like-minded volunteers and staff at the center was an incredibly fulfilling experience, and I hope to remain involved in these efforts for years to come.