() — Authorities are baffled after hundreds of loggerhead turtles (scientifically named caretta caretta and also known as loggerheads) have been washed up on Texas beaches.
A record total of 282 loggerheads washed up in Texas between April 1 and August 19, according to a news release from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which is more than double the total strandings in any year. from 2012 to 2021.
The reason for the substantial increase is unknown.
“The annual numbers have increased over this decade,” Donna J. Shaver, Texas coordinator for the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN) and chief of the Sea Turtle Science and Recovery Division at Padre Island National Seashore, said in a statement. of the National Park Service.
“This dramatic increase in loggerhead strandings this year is alarming and has STSSN participants on high alert in the Coastal Bend to be ready for the increased influx of disabled loggerheads in need of immediate rescue and care.”
There are five species of sea turtles found in the Gulf of Mexico. The loggerhead turtle is most abundant species that nests in the United States, although its population has still faced decline, largely due to bycatch in fishing operations. As adults, sea turtles can measure up to 1 meter 3.5 feet and weigh up to 158 kilosaccording to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Over the past decade, an average of 109 loggerhead sea turtles have been stranded on Texas beaches each year, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Most of the strandings this year have occurred in the Texas Coastal Bend between Calhoun and Kleberg counties. About two-thirds of stranded sea turtles are found dead, according to the service. The animals found alive are “underweight and emaciated.”
“In the Coastal Bend, about one-third of the stranded loggerhead sea turtles were found alive and are receiving care at licensed rehabilitation facilities, including the Amos Rehabilitation Keep, the Texas State Aquarium and the Texas Sealife Center,” said Mary Kay Skoruppa, US Fish and Wildlife Coordinator. of sea turtles from the Texas Wildlife Service, in the statement.
“The affected loggerheads were found to be underweight and emaciated. They are receiving diligent rehabilitation care, and we hope that most will recover and eventually be released back into the Gulf of Mexico.”
Scientists have been able to rule out some causes of the strandings: they are not due to infectious diseases, biotoxins or catches related to fishing, the service detailed.
Instead, scientists believe the explanation may lie in changes in the sea turtles’ habitat and access to their prey, according to the statement. Researchers take samples from live and dead sea turtles to identify what factors may be behind the mysterious strandings.
If you see a sea turtle on the beach, you should report the sighting to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and stay if you can to help officials find the animal.
“A lot of coordination between trained and authorized people is needed to successfully rescue stranded sea turtles,” Skoruppa said in the statement. “Therefore, it is critical that citizens report their sightings immediately, so that rescue efforts can begin quickly.”
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