Sea turtle strandings have increased dramatically. Congress can create a fund to rescue them

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Sea turtle strandings have increased at an alarming rate in New England, but now the reptiles are close to receiving a lifeline from Congress to help them stay in the water.

Congress is moving closer to passing the Sea Turtle Relief and Rehabilitation Act, which would create a new $33 million federal grant program to fund institutions across the country that rescue, rehabilitate and research stranded turtles. The aid would arrive as scientists and federal officials were sounding the alarm that a growing number of turtles stunned by the cold are coming to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, likely as a result of climate change.

Fewer than 50 sea turtles were found stranded on Cape Cod in 2000, but by 2022 that number had increased to 866, the Democratic senator said. Ed Markey of Massachusetts. Quick action is needed to help the turtles because all six species of sea turtles found in the U.S. are threatened or endangered, Markey said.

Turtles face “extinction and environmental destruction” without assistance, said Markey, the turtle bill’s sponsor.

“Our current rescue efforts are largely voluntary and underfunded, forcing our aquariums to shell out to keep our bombed friends safe,” he said. “We will not allow these rescue and rehabilitation organizations, let alone sea turtles, to sink.”

The average annual number of cold-stunned turtles in Massachusetts has also increased over time. Two decades ago it was 139, and in the last five years it has increased to 739, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported in June.

The sea turtle bill was placed on the Senate calendar after unanimously passing the Commerce, Science and Transportation committee on July 31, records state. A similar measure, introduced by Democratic Rep. Bill Keating of Massachusetts, passed the House of Representatives earlier this year.

Both proposals have bipartisan support, and the Senate measure is co-sponsored by Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.

Sea turtles sometimes become cold-stunned because they cannot regulate their body temperature. In recent years, hundreds of these turtles have become trapped in Massachusetts. The New England Aquarium operates a Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, Massachusetts, which treats the animals, which sometimes require months of care before being released back into the marine environment.

Providing more assistance to organizations that care for stranded turtles “would have a significant impact on continuing this collaborative conservation work and resulting research to solve ocean challenges,” said Vikki Spruill, president and CEO of the New England Aquarium, in support of the proposal. last year.