Stranded Turtles

In the last week of January three sea turtles were stranded alive and are being rehabilitated. One in Belize City, one on Abalone Caye and one in Ambergris Caye, all are the same species, the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle.

Visit the Belize Turtle Watch Program Facebook page for details!

Remember, please report all observations of sea turtles, whether on land or sea, and stranded.

1st of the three stranded hawksbills from Hopkins was found by Judell Nunez. Photo ECOMAR

Stranded Sea Turtles

The Belize Turtle Watch Program through the Belize Sea Turtle Census aims to gather three different points of data on sea turtles in Belize including in-water observations, nesting beach observations, as well as reporting all sightings of stranded sea turtles. All observations of stranded sea turtles should be reported immediately to the Belize Fisheries Department.

Stranded sea turtles can be found either floating at sea or washed ashore. They may be alive or dead. If alive, they will be injured or sick and unable to heal and successfully live on their own if they are not properly cared for and rehabilitated. As a part of the 2011 Sea Turtle Census we ask that coastal residents survey the beaches near their property for stranded sea turtles especially during periods of strong winds.

While out at sea, we ask boat operators to keep an eye out for floating turtles. There are many reasons why the turtle may be floating, but a floating turtle is always injured, sick, or dead. Injuries to turtles can occur for a wide variety of reasons. It may be due to having been struck by a boat, or it may be caught up in gill nets or fishing lines. Another unfortunate yet common reason turtles may be found stranded is due to marine debris.

Discarded plastic such as trash bags, bottles, balloons, and other packaging materials closely resemble jellyfish and are frequently observed in the stomachs of stranded sea turtles. Swallowing sharp debris, whether plastics, metal, or glass, can cut the stomach and intestines when digested causing internal infections in sea turtles. Sometimes turtles eat so much plastic that nothing else will pass through their gut and they will die.

Other debris in the water may inhibit the usual feeding and mating activities of sea turtles. Entanglement of sea turtles in large masses of marine debris can result in starvation, drowning or increased vulnerability to predators and boat collisions.

Unfortunately over the past months, Belize has had several reports of stranded sea turtles throughout the country. In September 2011 SEA (Southern Environmental Association) informed us of two turtle strandings. The first was a small hawksbill spotted by Carlo Salvinelli from CISP, found floating on the surface just north of the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve near Coco Solo Caye. The second was what is guessed to have been a loggerhead turtle found floating near Pompion Caye in southern Belize. This turtle had all its meat cut out and the carapace had been discarded making it difficult to identify. In October 2011, a stranded loggerhead was reported near Caye Caulker. Ali Cansino, a biologist at the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve, quickly responded to recover and conduct a necropsy on this turtle. The cause of death may have been due to a chop wound on the front right flipper.

The Belize Turtle Watch Program thanks everyone who has been reporting stranded sea turtles. Despite the sad, unfortunate reports, it is important for us to document all deaths in order to identify threats and find ways to mitigate these threats.

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Live Stranded Turtles

The first olive ridley reported in Belize was found stranded in discarded fishing gear near Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Photo Kirah Forman

Olive is a prime example of why it is important to report all stranded sea turtles. Olive is the first observed olive ridley turtle that was found by a fishermen floating in discarded fishing line near Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Biologists at Hol Chan and Bacalar Chico Marine Reserves were able to rehabilitate olive and release her. Dr. Todd Rimkus of Marymount University and Hawksbill Hope, donates a satellite tag that followed Olive after here release providing important information of the range of olive ridley sea turtles in the Western Caribbean.

Hawkbill turtle rehabilitated at St. George's Caye Aquarium. Photo Linda Searle

Ms Greedy is a hawksbill turtle that was found stranded on the beach at St. George's Caye and rehabilitated by the Bischof's at St. George's Caye Aquarium. Greedy was tagged and release near Gallow's Point.

Kirah Forman, biologist at Hol Chan Marine Reserve, receives many stranded hatchlings from Ambergris Caye after periods of strong winds and rehabilitates and releases many turtles.

Dead Stranded Turtles

Hawksbill turtle found near Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve and loggerhead turtle found near Port of Belize with no apparent injuries. Photos Carlo Salvinelli and Linda Searle

All dead stranded sea turtles need to be measured and cause of death identified so that threats can be minimized.

Sometimes the cause of death is obvious, like the loggerhead below with a chop wound on its front flipper. But other times it is not easily determined what the cause of death is so biologists conducted a necropsy.

The hawksbill turtle at the left was left at sea so the cause of death could not be identified.

The loggerhead turtle at the left was found near the Port in Belize City in Nov 2010 and a necropsy was conducted at the June 2011 Belize Turtle Workshop. Fisheries Department personnel found water in the airway indicating the turtle had drowned.

Loggerhead sea turtle found near Caye Caulker had a chop wound on its right front flipper. Photo Nidia Chacon

Chop wounds on this turtles right front flipper most likely cause its death. Why would someone shop a turtle, and not eat it? It probably got caught in a gill net and when the fishermen went to check the net the turtle was caught and in trying to release the turtle it was chopped and either escaped or intentionally let loose.

Report Stranded Turtles
To the Fisheries Department Immediately!

Fisheries laws prohibit the harvest and harassment of all sea turtles in Belize.

If a stranded sea turtle is found it should immediately be reported to the Fisheries Department
so that if it is alive it can be rehabilitated and released
or if dead so cause of death can be determined and threats minimized.

Tel: 224-4552

Contact Details

PO Box 1234
Belize City, Belize
TEL: + (501) 223-3022
CEL: + (501) 671-3483
Email: linda@ecomarbelize.org