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New England Aquarium Helps Injured Sea Turtles Survive In The Wild
In a groundbreaking study, the New England Aquarium has made significant strides in the conservation of injured sea turtles. By tracking rehabilitated loggerhead sea turtles and comparing their behavior to that of other protected species, researchers have gained valuable insights into the challenges faced by these incredible creatures.
The New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital has been dedicated to rescuing, treating, and releasing sea turtle species for over three decades, with a remarkable 500 admissions in just the past three years alone. The devastating decline of loggerhead sea turtle populations makes this tireless work even more crucial. To better comprehend the lives of rehabilitated loggerheads in their natural habitat, veterinarians and scientists at the Aquarium acquired federal permits to track recovered turtles that were originally stranded near Massachusetts waters and then returned to their natural environment.
To achieve this goal, researchers surgically implanted acoustic tags within the turtles, allowing them to transmit data via satellite. These innovative devices, commonly used for tracking highly mobile ocean animals, send “pings” into the water that can be detected by listening stations along the coastline.
The astonishing findings from this study reveal that all tagged and released loggerhead turtles in 2021 and 2022 not only survived but continued to return to established feeding grounds along the New England coast, particularly Cape Cod. The data collected through these acoustic transmitters has given researchers increased confidence in their ability to reintegrate into the wild population.
Furthermore, this groundbreaking research has shed light on an unexpected discovery – some turtles are returning to Massachusetts waters during the summer and fall seasons. This surprising revelation suggests that this area may be more crucial for loggerheads than previously thought, a finding with immense conservation implications.
Building upon these findings, the next phase of this work will involve expanding the acoustic tags to Kemp’s Ridley and green sea turtles treated at the Aquarium, allowing researchers to gather even more insights into their behavior. The potential to receive data from transmitters through 2032 offers untold opportunities for informed conservation management and policy actions.
In a bold move to advance our understanding of these threatened species, Dr. Charles Innis, senior scientist and Aquarium veterinarian, has developed an innovative internal acoustic tagging procedure for sea turtles. If the trend continues to gather more extensive data on larger numbers of turtles in New England waters, researchers will likely gain a deeper comprehension of when they are typically present and where they spend their time – both factors that could profoundly impact future protective measures.
In a significant step forward for ocean conservation, the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life has created an interactive map, Sea Turtle Tracker, allowing the public to explore the journeys of individual sea turtles.
