
FORT FISHER — Six green sea turtles and one Kemp’s ridley sea turtle have been taken in by the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (NCAFF), stunned by the sudden drop in temperature in the area. The sea turtles were taken into professional care on Jan. 19 and will remain there temporarily for rehabilitation.
This winter, nearly 900 cold-stunned sea turtles have been rescued along the coast of North Carolina, breaking previous records.
“Rehabilitation for a cold-stunned sea turtle can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months, depending on their health status when they arrive,” NCAFF Aquarist Andrew Johnson stated in a release. “We work closely with our veterinary team to administer individual care as each turtle is affected differently by cold-stunning. All the turtles we received are stable and eating and just need to continue gaining weight before we release them.”
The professional care team will rehabilitate the sea turtles by slowly warming them up, making sure they regain the ability to swim and lift their heads out of the water to breathe.
With help from Duke Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, the U.S. Coast Guard Stations at Cape Hatteras and Fort Macon, and other private fishing vessels, the aquarium typically releases the rehabilitated turtles into warmer water near the Gulf Stream.
If a sea turtle is located in the water or on the sand and is not moving, it’s advised to call the Sea Turtle Stranding Hotline at (252) 241-7367 and report the turtle. Officials do not recommend individuals push the turtle back into the water or transport the turtle on their own.it yourself.
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