Rehabilitated Loggerhead Turtles from Quincy Thriving Years After Their Release

Bruce Beane and his wife Debby Walther have dedicated their time to rescuing cold-stunned sea turtles and giving them another chance at life. The couple has been taking the turtles they discover to the New England Aquarium Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy for rehabilitation. Hearing stories of the turtles' survival years after their release gives them hope.

According to a Patriot Ledger report, newly released information from surgically implanted acoustic tags in the turtles indicate that the loggerheads released from Cape Cod's beaches in 2021 and 2022 are surviving and returning to local waters during the warmer months.

“These acoustic transmitters are telling us that rehabilitated sea turtles can survive beyond that first year, and they are showing up in well-established feeding areas," said Kara Dodge, a research scientist at the aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life. "That gives us confidence in their ability to reintegrate into the wild population."

According to researchers from the aquarium, the work of individuals like Beane, Walther, and many other volunteers supports a larger effort to track and protect sea turtles in the region. The loggerheads' acoustic tags enable researchers to gather long-term data about where the creatures go and how they interact with their environment — data which is critical for informing conservation strategies.

As the Patriot Ledger notes, the acoustic receivers from Massachusetts to Florida have detected tagged loggerheads nearly 6,000 times.

Climate change and its impacts on rising ocean temperatures and northward expansion of sea turtle migration for feeding has been contributing to increases in cold-stunned loggerhead strandings. As warm temperatures continue later into the year, some turtles leave for southern waters too late, while others get stuck in Cape Cod Bay, where the water stays warmer longer. When the temperature drops below 55 degrees, the turtles become cold-stunned — a condition that makes them lethargic and unable to eat or swim.

Encouraged by the results from the loggerhead turtle acoustic receivers, researchers are hoping for permission to implant acoustic tags in other turtle species for further study.