Local News
It is the first sea turtle stranding of the summer season, according to Mass Audubon.
Wildlife advocates issued a plea to boaters Tuesday to watch out for sea turtles, days after a 700-pound sea turtle washed up dead on Martha’s Vineyard.
The leatherback turtle, a mature female, was found on Red Beach in Aquinnah on Saturday, marking the first sea turtle stranding of the summer season, Mass Audubon said in a statement.
Karen Dourdeville, the Sea Turtle Research Coordinator for Mass Audubon, said the stranding was unusual since a necropsy performed Monday found the carcass was fresh, with no signs that the animal had been struck by a boat or any wounds or scars from any entanglements.
Still, since marine animals are commonly struck in the area, Dourdeville issued a reminder that loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, green, and leatherback sea turtles all feed in the region’s waters over the summer, asking boaters to take extra care to watch out for the endangered and threatened species.
Anyone who spots a sea turtle can report it at seaturtlesightings.org or call 888-SEA-TURT (888-732-8878). Recording the sightings can help raise boater awareness with the hope that doing so will prevent the animals from being struck and killed, Mass Audubon said. The information collected on sightings is also used by researchers and federal regulators.
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