Gulf Sea Turtle Conservation Efforts Enter New Phase

The Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Command issued a release Thursday morning, detailing a new phase in sea turtle conservation efforts that were launched in response to environmental damage caused by the BP-Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Recent scientific reports show that responders are finding fewer oiled turtles, and are ready to begin releasing rehabilitated turtles back into the wild, while continuing rigorous ecological monitoring.

“We haven’t discovered any turtles that require veterinary care and rehabilitation since early August, so we are implementing the next phase of our turtle response activities while continuing the efforts of the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network,” said NOAA Fisheries National Sea Turtle Coordinator Barbara Schroeder.

The next phase of the sea turtle conservation effort, the Natural Resource Damage Assessment phase, will commence in two to three weeks and will consist of conducting surveys on turtle found in convergence areas where ocean currents meet up with Sargassum (dense marine algae) habitats, according to the report.

Since August 30, 1,086 sea turtles have been collected from an area stretching from Apalachicola, Fla. to the Texas/Louisiana border. Rehabilitation centers have also released more than 14,000 hatchling turtles gathered from endangered nesting areas to Florida’s east coast.