Several endangered turtles released back into ocean off Cape Cod

Several endangered sea turtles were released back into the wild Wednesday morning after they were rescued from the shores of Cape Cod last fall and rehabilitated, officials said.Because of the annual frigid waters in autumn, five endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles and two loggerhead sea turtles were found stranded along the shores in November and December, according to Adam Kennedy, a senior biologist at New England Aquarium. The juvenile turtles were “cold-stunned,” a condition caused by weeks of hypothermia and the inability to feed.But after several months of rehabilitation at a care center in Quincy, the turtles, watched by staff and volunteers, were released into the ocean at 6:30 a.m. off of West Dennis Beach in Dennis.“It was great to see these guys get back into the ocean,” said Kennedy, a member of the aquarium’s Marine Animal Rescue Team, which rescues and provides treatment for marine animals across New England.A normal turtle release event would draw crowds of turtle enthusiasts and volunteers. But this year, only two staff from the aquarium’s rescue department, two staff from Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, and a handful of others gathered on the beach Wednesday morning.David L. Ryan/Globe StaffA normal turtle release event would draw crowds of turtle enthusiasts and volunteers. But this year, only two staff from the aquarium’s rescue department, two staff from Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, and a handful of others gathered on the beach.“It was definitely a different event [than years past], mostly due to COVID,” Kennedy said. “We wanted to social distance and keep the group small.”With temperatures in the 70s, it was the perfect weather for the turtles to get a head start in the Nantucket Sound, Kennedy said. Some of the turtles have a long journey ahead — the Kemp’s ridleys are expected to travel as far south as the Carolinas, Florida, or the Gulf of Mexico, where they are primarily found.Kemp’s ridleys are a species of small, hard-backed turtles with an estimated population between 7,000 to 9,000 nesting females, according to the Sea Turtle Conservancy. “Every turtle certainly counts, especially for future generations,” Kennedy said.Kemp’s ridleys are a species of small, hard-backed turtles with an estimated population between 7,000 to 9,000 nesting females, according to the Sea Turtle Conservancy. David L. Ryan/Globe StaffThe ones released Wednesday were nowhere near fully-grown, weighing just 5 pounds, Kennedy said. Adult Kemp’s ridley turtles can weigh between 70 pounds and 108 pounds.The loggerheads, a species listed as threatened in the United States, were tagged with trackers for researchers to follow them. The loggerheads released were larger than Kemp’s ridleys, allowing them to carry the devices.“Not a lot is known about what happens to juveniles, and there are not many adult hard-shelled turtles in the area,” Kennedy said. “We want to get a baseline knowledge of their movements.”A larger loggerhead will be released into the wild in the coming weeks with a tracking device that can detect additional statistics, such as how deep the turtle dives and the temperature of the waters.The Kemp’s ridley turtles released Wednesday were nowhere near fully-grown, weighing just five pounds, Kennedy said. Adult Kemp’s ridley turtles can weigh between 70 pounds and 108 pounds.David L. Ryan/Globe StaffMatt Berg can be reached at matthew.berg@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mattberg33.
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