It 'Takes A Village' Of Volunteers, Pools, Biologists And Shrimp To Save Turtles At AMSEAS in Westhampton

Breaking the surface of the water in the pool at the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society (AMSEAS) facility in Westhampton, a juvenile turtle appears to smile. A rare and endangered Kemp’s ridley, its shell the size of a dinner plate and its flippers growing chubbier by the day under the ministrations of the staff, the youngster and his companions have reason to be happy. They were rescued and saved from the certain death that results from what’s known as cold stunning.

Cold stun season occurs in the Northeast when water temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the fall. Cold blooded turtles that haven’t made their way south to warmer waters become hypothermic or “cold stunned.” Between 400 and 900 cold-stunned sea turtles strand both alive and deceased in the Northeast each year. In 2020 far, there have been more than 400 strandings.

The deliverance from frigid Atlantic waters of the 20 turtles was a group effort. Earlier this month, they were flown in to Francis S. Gabreski Airport from the New England Aquarium, with the flight coordinated by the endangered species rescue organization Turtles Fly Too.

Helmed by chief scientist Rob DiGiovanni, AMSEAS’ efforts are part of the Specially Trained Animal Response Team formed to help provide support to other organizations within the network. The mission was organized by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Stranding and Disentanglement Coordinator Kate Sampson.

“When we founded Atlantic Marine Conservation Society in 2016, it was always with the idea that we would help other stranding network members and fellow conservation organizations,” said Mr. DiGiovanni. “Nothing we do is just about us. It truly takes a village to make a difference, and we pride ourselves on being able to assist in stranding events such as these. Promoting marine conservation through action is absolutely a group effort.”

AMSEAS’s role in the group effort involves providing triage and short-term care of the stunned babies. Biologists and volunteers have formed several internal teams (transport, triage, and husbandry) to assess each sea turtle and come up with a care plan. Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are the smallest and most endangered species of sea turtles in the world, and the team’s main challenge is to fatten them up and help them regain their strength. Once their care in Westhampton is complete, they’ll be transported to another facility.

The network of organizations and volunteers looking after the cold stunned turtles begins up north in Massachusetts. In late fall, volunteers from the Massachusetts Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary walk Cape Cod beaches to collect the cold-stunned turtles. Volunteers bring the turtles back to Mass Audubon, where staff checks for signs of life and evaluates the turtles, who then go to the New England Aquarium’s Animal Care Center or the National Marine Life Center, both NOAA Fisheries Sea Turtle Stranding Network members, for an initial evaluation and treatment. From there, they may go to network partners like AMSEAS.

Based in Westhampton, AMSEAS mission is to promote marine conservation through action. It is the lead large whale response organization in New York State. As a non-profit organization, the society conducts research projects within the marine environment, and responds to whales, porpoises, dolphins, and sea turtles in the northeast region, and conducts public and private education programs across Long Island into New York City. The group developed a mobile response unit, Mr. DiGiovanni explained. “The idea is to be able to help where it’s needed. We’re building capabilities to be more mobile.”

The animals in the pools at the AMSEAS facility are all between 3 and 6 pounds. “We’ll make sure they get food and fluids,” the scientist said, as the turtles swam towards the pool’s edge to say hello. “They’re all pretty active now, but they weren’t when they came in.”

The group’s first task involved assessing each creature, getting them up to what’s called “operating temperature,” then placing them in warm, 70-degree water. “From that point, we start to get them to feed and eat,” he said. They like crabs and clams or shrimp, and might nip a finger that strays into the water, he warned.

The goal would be to send them off to another facility for extended rehabilitation if they need it, or to be released, depending on the timeline, Mr. DiGiovanni said. “We’re really here to provide help within the network.” He noted the network sent about 100 animals to Texas from Northeast beaches.

Further describing the experience of cold stunning, Mr. DiGiovanni likened it to a human being outside on a freezing winter’s day without a coat. After prolonged exposure, he said, “We’re going to get colder and colder until we can’t function. And if we don’t get out of that condition, we will die … the difference with sea turtles is they are cold blooded, so they have less time. So if the temperature drops quickly, they will become cold stunned.”

Normally, turtles migrate away from the area during October. But they seem to be staying longer as the water temperatures stay warm longer — they’re not getting the cue to leave and head south.

In New York, cold stunned turtles will wash up on north-facing beaches. “We try to get volunteers to walk the beaches,” he said. Trainings are held on the North Fork at Hallock State Park and turtles have been found and rescued there.

“Getting more of the public out there is really critical,” Mr. DiGiovanni said.

Endangered Kemp’s ridley turtles are one of two species of turtle that nests en mass each year. In 1947, an estimated 42,000 Kemp’s ridleys nested in a single day on a beach near Rancho Nuevo, Mexico, on the Gulf of Mexico. They can be found along the Eastern Seaboard from Florida to New England.