Wellfleet Bay staff and volunteers were on hand in early July when the New England Aquarium released 5 rehabilitated loggerhead sea turtles rescued last fall. The release was at West Dennis Beach on Nantucket Sound. The loggerheads were rescued by Wellfleet Bay volunteers and staff last fall, after they washed ashore, cold-stunned, on Cape Cod Bay beaches.
One of 5 loggerheads released on July 2nd at West Dennis Beach. All were rescued from Cape Cod beaches the previous fall due to cold-stunning. (Photo by Karen Strauss).
Each sea turtle was fitted with a satellite tag to monitor its movements. The turtles were given color-coded names for easier tracking on the map. The New England Aquarium has been sharing images every couple of weeks showing us where the turtles have been going since leaving shore.
Here’s where they ended up six days after the July 2nd release in West Dennis.
Perhaps because of abundant whelk and crabs, the turtles covered a large swath of northern Nantucket Sound, with Blue Bell swimming all the way to Nantucket and back. (Image courtesy of the NEAq).
A week later Blue Bell, Brick Red and Banana Mania did a lot more swimming through extremely busy boating areas, but the turtle known as Laser Lemon appeared to hang around Harwich. Pink Sherbert continued foraging in the Hyannis/Centerville area.
At least 3 of the loggerheads were swimming in boat-infested waters!
Three weeks after release, Blue Bell and Brick Red continued to forage in areas of shoals in Nantucket Sound, where shallower water may make it easier to find and catch prey. Laser Lemon seemed to be content in its general area off Chatham and Harwich. Pink Sherbert made one foray into Nantucket Sound, then stuck close to Hyannis/Centerville, along with Banana Mania.
This image reflects a shorter time frame than the others. At least 3 of the loggerheads were swimming in waters with very heavy boat traffic, including ferries! (Image courtesy of NEAq).
Our turtle team finds the tracking interesting because it’s the first time we’ve had an idea of where turtles move during the summer when so many come to feed. Previously, rehabbed turtles were released in August and most, given the approaching fall, scooted south.
A lot of very hard work, state of the art veterinary care, and heart have gone into saving these 5 loggerheads. We’re really hoping they stay out of trouble and that sometime next month they’ll start thinking about moving to warmer waters.
NEAq and WBWS staff watch a tagged loggerhead return to sea. No doubt, all were hoping the turtle would have smooth sailing from now on. (Photo by Karen Strauss).