by Kathryn Tuxbury1, Brett Still1,2, Robert Prescott1, Cheryl Ryder3, Dennis Murley1, Connie Merigo4, Cynthia Smith4, Beth Turnbull4
| Pane 1: Stranding Network Data
Pane 2: New England Aquarium Data Pane 3: Cold Stun Standings by Species in Cape Cod Bay, MA 1979-1999 Pane 4: Size Class Distribution by Species Pane 5: Association of Cold Stun Strandlings with Air Temperature Pane 6: Association of Cold Stun Strandlings with Wind Speed Pane 7: 1999-2000 Cape Cod Bay Cold-Stunned Turtles (see below) Pane 8: Acknowledgments (see below) |
A record number of cold-stunned sea turtles stranded on Cape Cod Bay beaches during the 1999-2000 season. The strandings occurred from 8 November 1999 - 7 January 2000. A total of 277 turtles stranded including: 218 Kemp’s ridleys (Lepidochelys kempii), 54 loggerheads (Caretta caretta), and 5 green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Stranding events usually followed abrupt declines in air temperature accompanied by strong sustained winds. The Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary coordinates a volunteer network for patrolling Cape Cod beaches. Beaches were surveyed systematically after each high tide to minimize the turtles’ exposure to chilling winds. This method of beach coverage increased the proportion of turtles recovered alive from the beach. One-hundred thirty-three Kemp’s ridleys (61%), 19 loggerheads (37%), and 4 green turtles (80%) were initially retrieved from the beach alive. Of 127 live turtles transported to the New England Aquarium for treatment and rehabilitation, 89 Kemp’s ridleys (82%), 16 loggerheads (100%), and 2 green turtles (66%) survived. All findings presented here are preliminary. Further analysis of this event will be conducted and placed in the context of the past 20 years of cold stun data from Cape Cod Bay. Available data suggest that Cape Cod Bay is an important developmental habitat for juvenile Kemp’s ridleys. It is our belief that studies of marine turtles in Cape Cod Bay will provide an opportunity to learn more about their behavior and ecology in northern waters and to gain a better understanding of cold stun response and rehabilitation.
The two pictures above are of a 200 lb. tagged female loggerhead stranded on 17 November 1999. She was tagged in June, 1991 while nesting on Bald Head Island in North Carolina. "Tiny" is the first-ever recorded mature Cheloniid found in Cape Cod Bay. After rehabilitation, she was released in the Florida Keys in August 2000. |
Pane 7: 1999-2000 Cape Cod Bay Cold-Stunned Turtles (below)
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2% |
| Ranges of Straight Carapace Length (cm)
(Mean SCL) |
18.4 — 37.2
(26.9) |
40.0 — 89.6
(52.5) |
(33.8) |
| Number of Live Turtles Recovered from Beach |
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| Number of Live Turtles Transported to NEAq |
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| Number of Turtles Successfully Rehabilitated at NEAq |
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Many thanks are extended to the over 120 volunteers of the Cape Cod Sea Turtle Stranding Network. We also thank the following organizations for assisting with sea turtle beach patrols: National Park Service, South Wellfleet, MA; Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, Brewster, MA; Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, MA; Barnstable Natural Resources; Dennis Natural Resources; and Eastham Natural Resources. Also, we are grateful to the MSPCA and Eastham Veterinary Hospital for their services during the strandings. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the efforts of the staff and volunteers of the New England Aquarium and Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Photos by Don Lewis; Green Turtle photo by Jackie Sones.
This data is not to be used or cited without permission.
