By DIVE Staff
The Marine Conservation Society has reported that there has been an unusually large number of turtle strandings reported this year to the Marine Environmental Monitoring website, which maintains the database of UK and Irish turtle sightings.
A total of 13 turtles have been reported over the winter months, including 12 loggerheads and one rare Kemp’s ridley turtle. All of the stranded turtles have been relatively small juveniles measuring between 20-50cm in shell length.
Most strandings have been in the southwest of the UK, with the furthest north being the island of Anglesey, off the northwestern coast of Wales. One animal was also reported on the west coast of Ireland in County Mayo.
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‘Although we see the most hard-shell turtle strandings and sightings between December and February, this year, we’ve had more than usual, said Rod Penrose, head of Marine Environmental Monitoring. ‘They’re mostly juvenile or injured adults, so it’s thought that they struggled to fight the strong winds and currents of severe storms in their native waters of the US and Caribbean, where they were carried offshore into the Atlantic Gyre before ending up in cold UK waters.
‘Hard-shelled turtles, like loggerheads and Kemp’s ridleys, go into cold water shock in our chilly winter seas and do not survive for long periods in these conditions.’
Of the turtles reported this season, four have been rescued and taken to specialist facilities to be rehabilitated and hopefully released in the future.
Every effort is made to collect every individual found, so they can either be rehabilitated if alive, or examined to understand what led to them arriving on UK and Irish shores.
‘It’s important that we gather data on turtle sightings and strandings, as well as other marine life such as jellyfish, to build a picture of our seas,’ said Amy Pilsbury, Citizen Science Programme Developer at the Marine Conservation Society. ‘This vital information about our ocean’s inhabitants, and any changes in their frequency and whereabouts, contributes to scientific research which helps us to find solutions to protect our seas.’
What to do if you find a turtle
- If you do find a stranded turtle, DO NOT put it back into the sea. It will be in cold shock and will need help. Instead, wrap the turtle in a damp towel and set it on its belly somewhere safe and sheltered, raising its back end slightly to allow any water to drain from its lungs.
- Be sure to report the sighting as soon as possible so that the turtle can be taken to a specialist facility where it can hopefully recover or be treated.
- For more information on what to do if you spot a turtle, download the Turtle Code.
Report turtle and jellyfish sightings to the Marine Conservation Society’s Wildlife Sightings programme. For more information on what to do if you spot a turtle, download the MCS Turtle Code.
