Boaters Urged To Watch Out For Sea Turtles

Published online

By Jennifer Corr

Photo by The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, a nonprofit research, marine animal welfare and educational organization, announced on Monday that it recently has responded to an average of two deceased, stranded, entangled or entrapped sea turtles each week along the shores of New York.

Out of the 15 responses between July 15 and 30, 73 percent of the sea turtles were struck and killed by boats. Now, the chief scientist and founder of AMCS, Rob DiGiovanni, is urging the public to be on the lookout for sea turtles when boating.

“‘Watch out for sea turtles’ doesn’t just apply to land turtles,” Mr. DiGiovanni said in a statement. “Necropsies [an autopsy done on an animal] on 11 out of 15 sea turtles found evidence of vessel strike. That’s a big number. We are sharing these waters with sea turtles and scores of other marine animals. We want boaters to know that they need to be on the lookout for these animals, and when they see one, to give it space.”

Four species of sea turtle, green, loggerhead, leatherback and Kemp’s ridley, have been found across the coast of New York, including the shores in Babylon, Breezy Point, Brookhaven, Manhattan, Southold, Staten Island and Queens. The turtles inhabit New York waters during the warmer months. They are classified as threatened or endangered at the state level and are federally protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Although there were fewer turtles found stranded this year than last year, there are more turtles found vessel struck. The reason behind these numbers has not been identified and is still being investigated by AMCS.

“We couldn’t say that it is a trend,” Mr. DiGiovanni said. “It’s something that we’re looking at to see if it is a trend. It’s concerning in a sense that it seems like [the sea turtles] are mostly getting vessel struck and that could be for any number of reasons.”

For now, Mr. DiGiovanni and the team are raising awareness among boaters that they are sharing waters with animals like sea turtles.

“We’re trying to make boaters more aware that these animals are here and to report what they see, even if the animals are healthy,” he said. “What I would really like to see is that we put a lot more effort into preparing for next season as well.”

Mr. DiGiovanni recommended thinking of the waters as a school zone, and to look out for and avoid sea turtles as a boater would if they saw debris or another boat on the horizon.

“You drive slower in a school zone. You’re on the lookout. You see a ball roll across the street, you’re always on the lookout,” he said. “Be aware that [the turtles] could be here. Constantly be looking.”

AMCS is New York’s response organization for deceased or live entangled and entrapped sea turtles, although the organization responds to a variety of calls. As of August, AMCS has already responded to 168 cases of marine mammals, including whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals and sea turtles across the shores of New York.

“We go out in this environment to go see the animals because we enjoy nature. And we enjoy being out on the water, and we enjoy all it has to offer,” Mr. DiGiovanni said. “Part of that responsibility is taking care of that environment.”

According to the State Department of Environmental Conservation, a sea turtle found on a New York shore is likely cold-stunned and needs medical attention. A person should not touch the animal, put the animal back in the water or remove the animal from the beach. Sea turtles are federally protected and can be handled only by authorized personnel. More information is available at dec.ny.gov.

AMCS is asking the public to report live and deceased stranded marine mammals by calling 631-369-9829. Sightings of live sea turtles can be shared with the organization at sightings@amseas.org. More information on AMCS can be found at amseas.org.