200 Endangered Sea Turtles Rescued Off Cape Cod

BOSTON, MA — Nearly 200 critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles were rescued off Cape Cod and flown to warmer waters Wednesday. Volunteer pilots made it happen, according to the New England Aquarium. The turtles were treated at the aquarium over the last few weeks then flown to North Carolina.

Kemp's ridley sea turtles are the rarest sea turtles in the world. A few thousand are concentrated in the Gulf of Mexico; the turtles have been known to venture as far north as Nova Scotia. Cape Cod waters in November are too cold for the turtles and a few hundred are rescued every fall, according to aquarium officials.

"Being able to move a large number of re-warmed and medically stable sea turtles to other rehab facilities quickly is a major asset that has been met a by a remarkable aviation group called Turtles Fly Too," aquarium officials said in a statement. "Coordinating with NOAA and the Aquarium, Idaho-based Leslie Weinstein has rallied the general and business aviation communities to provide critically important flights that aid in the recovery of endangered sea turtle species. Boise is several hundred miles from the ocean, but Weinstein grew up in Florida and also serves on the board of ac prominent sea turtle conservation organization there."

The aquarium continued, "Over the past several years, the volunteer pilots of Turtles Fly Too have transported more than 500 endangered and threatened sea turtles from the New England Aquarium’s care to dozens of rehab facilities in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and other states for further rehabilitation and eventual release back into the wild. Air transports are exceptionally valuable in reducing the stress on recovering but compromised sea turtles as ground transports that might take two or three days. Volunteers pilots from both the business and general aviation communities donate their planes, time, fuel costs and skill in helping three species of sea turtles make a steady recovery."

Kemp's ridley sea turtles grow about 2 feet and can live 50 years or longer. They were nearly hunted into extinction by the 1940s but have experienced steady population growth in recent years due to their protected status.

Photo: A Kemp's ridley sea turtle rescued from the coast of Massachusetts is released into the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana January 29, 2015. (Credit: Gerald Herbert/Associated Press)