399 sea turtles released after rehabilitation on the Outer Banks

MANTEO, N.C. — Almost 400 sea turtles are headed home after being rehabilitated by the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island’s Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation (STAR) Center, partnering with the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (NEST).

Over 550 cold-stunned sea turtles were delivered to the STAR Center over the first week of December. Turtles become cold-stunned when they are exposed to a sudden drop in water temperatures and experience hypothermia-like symptoms. Along North Carolina’s Outer Banks, water temperatures dropped dramatically in the first week of December before sea turtles could migrate to warmer water.

As of December 17, the Aquarium said they have received 576 sea turtles, including North Carolina’s most common species: loggerhead sea turtles, green sea turtles, and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. The STAR Center is currently caring for a total of 71 animals, but plans to release some later in December.

The Aquarium said over 135 staff and volunteers worked to process intakes and care for the 553 turtles taken in. The Aquarium also said, along with the STAR Center and NEST, that they worked with multiple other organizations to assist with rescue and rehabilitation efforts, including Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the Outer Banks S.P.C.A. and local veterinarian clinics, Phideaux Fishing vessel, and the U.S. Coast Guard Stations Hatteras Inlet and Fort Macon, Sector North Carolina, and more support from other local groups and individuals, including the North Carolina Aquarium Society and partners from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.

Additionally, the Aquarium offered advice for if you spot a sea turtle in the ocean or the sound during the winter months.

“Sea turtles that appear still or sluggish in the sound water or on a beach during winter months should not be pushed back into the water or moved,” the Aquarium said in their announcement. “Instead, a sea turtle that appears to be in distress should be reported to the Sea Turtle Stranding Hotline via NEST at 252-441-8622.”

Sea turtles are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.