On a steely Monday morning, a crew of researchers, veterinarians, and other ocean experts boarded the Tow Fin from Long Beach’s harbor — headed far out past the breakwater, where they were preparing to release a rescued olive ridley sea turtle back into the wild.
The subadult turtle — whose exact age is unknown — was discovered stranded on the shores of Pismo Beach last December, suffering from numerous ailments and injuries as a result of straying from its routine migratory path, and falling victim to a condition called cold-stunning.
It was rescued by the Marine Mammal Center based in Sausalito, and later transported to Long Beach’s Aquarium of the Pacific for an extensive seven month recovery and rehabilitation process.
Olive ridley sea turtles are found across the world, but are most common in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and along the Atlantic Coast of East Africa and South America, according to the aquarium. They sometimes travel several thousand miles between feeding grounds and nesting sites.
But the turtle rescued by the aquarium, for an unknown reason, got lost from the typical migratory path — and ended up in the cold waters of Northern California’s Pacific Ocean, when it should have been enjoying warmer waters down in Mexico during the winter months.
“These turtles are not usually in our waters during December,” said Aquarium of the Pacific veterinary technician Louise Leborgne on Monday, Aug. 11. “(Turtles) are unable to maintain their internal body temperatures when the water is too cold, and they end up stranded.”
That condition, called cold-stunning, gets worse the longer a turtle is exposed to cold water, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It causes the impacted turtle to become lethargic and float to the water’s surface, where they become even more vulnerable to additional cold and predators.
In the worst cases, cold stunning can impact a turtle’s circulation, organ function, immune system, cause damage to the turtle’s shell, skin, and eyes, and make them more susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections.
The turtle rescued off Pismo Beach was in bad shape by the time it was found in December, according to the aquarium — suffering from the effects of cold-stunning, including dehydration, emaciation, and several wounds on its shell, flippers and eyes.
After making its way to Long Beach, the turtle — whose sex has yet to be determined because of its younger age — was treated with gradual warming and subcutaneous fluids, followed by additional treatment to its superficial wounds as the recovery period went on.
The subadult turtle, which weighed just about 50 pounds when it was first recovered (most healthy adult olive ridleys weigh between 80 to 110 pounds), gained 13 pounds over its seven months with the aquarium, putting it at much healthier weight for its release back into the ocean.
“Seeing this turtle’s journey through recovery and return to the ocean is a testament to the dedication of our veterinary and animal care teams,” said Nate Jaros, the aquarium’s vice president of animal care.
So on Monday, Aug. 11, a slew of Aquarium of the Pacific employees who had been there to help the turtle get back on its flippers, watched as the turtle was gently plopped back into its native habitat — letting out a round of applause when it took its first few laps around the boat.
“Good luck,” one onlooker sang out to the turtle, as it reoriented itself with the mighty ocean current, preparing to hop back on its migratory path. Others cheered and waved as the turtle eventually took its leave, after hanging around the boat it had just come from for a few moments.
Though the aquarium doesn’t plan on tracking the path of the turtle, they did install microchips into its flippers that other researchers can scan and learn about the turtle’s history — should it ever be captured in the future, veterinary tech Leborgne said.
The aquarium, meanwhile, has worked to rescue and rehabilitate sea turtles since 2000 — and is currently in the process of developing a dedicated 4,000-gallon rehabilitation area specifically designed for the needs of sea turtles at its Long Beach facility.
“All species of sea turtles found in waters of the United States are listed as either endangered or threatened, and are protected by the Endangered Species Act,” the aquarium said in a press release. “Their numbers have fallen to the point that every turtle is important to the future of the species.”
To learn more about the aquarium’s work with sea turtles, visit tinyurl.com/AOTPTurtles.