Call for vigilance over sea turtles (From Tivyside Advertiser)

Call for vigilance over sea turtles

10:14am Friday 23rd December 2011 in News

A marine charity has urged winter coastal walkers to look out for washed up turtles after two rare species were found in Scotland and Wales It’s vital to report both dead and living sightings, says Marine Conservation Society after specimens were washed up dead on beaches in Scotland and Wales during December.

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) wants people to report any turtles found on UK beaches immediately, whether dead or alive. “It’s so important that people know what to do,” says Dr Peter Richardson, MCS Biodiversity Programme Manager and turtle expert. “Dead turtles can be collected for important post-mortem examination, while live turtles can be rescued from a chilly death as long as they are not thrown back in the sea.”

The first turtle to strand this month was a young Kemp’s ridley, found dead at Baugh on the Isle of Tiree in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides. The turtle was discovered after heavy storms in early December.

Kemp’s ridleys are a warm water species, and the rarest of the marine turtles. They are considered critically endangered, nesting only on a few beaches in the Gulf of Mexico. While the occurrence of Kemp’s ridleys in the UK is occasional, a recent recovery of the world population has meant an increase in the number of young ones stranding on UK shores. The Tiree turtle was only the 36th of this species on record, but a few days later another young Kemp’s ridley washed up dead on a beach at Llanon, Ceredigion, West Wales.

An even rarer UK encounter was also recorded in December when a dead green turtle washed up in Newark Bay, on South Ronaldsay in the Orkneys. Green turtles are considered endangered and are another warm water species, occurring mostly in the tropics, although nesting populations of this species are found in temperate Florida and in the Eastern Mediterranean. The South Ronaldsay green turtle is only the 10th green on record in the UK and Eire.

Dr Peter Richardson says these recent turtle strandings suggest there may be more turtles out there that could wash up on UK beaches over the Christmas holidays. “Our advice is that under no circumstances should stranded turtles be thrown back in the sea. While they may appear to be dead, they may in fact be comatose due to the cold conditions, and can be nursed back to health if immediately rescued and given expert care. If they are dead, it is important that they are collected and stored for post-mortem examination.”

MCS has a produced a UK Turtle Code, which can be downloaded at www.mcsuk.org and gives information on how to identify turtle species found in the UK and who to call if you find one. In addition, all dead or alive stranded turtles should be reported to Marine Environmental Monitoring (MEM) on 01348 875000. MEM organises the rescue and rehabilitation of live stranded turtles; collection and post-mortem of dead animals and maintains a national database of turtle reports.