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Technical reports

In the course of their work, District scientists and other environmental professionals study a host of water-related topics and prepare technical reports on their findings. See an overview of each report published by the District.

District staff, others aid in
sea turtle rescue

By Ed Garland

Shannon Hackett can recall the deep freeze of 1989, when rescuers plucked approximately 250 cold-stunned sea turtles from the Indian River Lagoon, and the cold snap in 2003, when 28 turtles were rescued from the frigid estuarine waters. But both instances pale in comparison to a statewide mass rescue effort that transpired in January 2010, when more than 2,000 sea turtles were rescued from the lagoon alone.

A sea turtle uses another turtle’s back as a place to rest its head.

Photo by Shannon Hackett

“They looked just like floating coconuts,” says Hackett, a senior environmental technician with the St. Johns River Water Management District. “They were floating listlessly, completely stunned by the cold water.”

“If people hadn’t moved so quickly to remove the sea turtles from the cold water, many wouldn’t have survived,” Hackett says. “Cold-stunned sea turtles become immobilized and can be struck by boats. Some of the turtles that had been in the water for a longer period had their eyes pecked by birds.”

The sheer scope of the situation prompted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to enlist staff from county, state and federal agencies, as well as countless volunteers, to assist in a tremendous collaborative effort to save as many turtles as possible.

District staff worked in various capacities, retrieving turtles from the water and hauling them in enclosed trucks (to ensure they didn’t freeze during the trip) to a warehouse at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, where the creatures were warmed. District biologists also helped collect valuable information on size, geographic distribution and health status.

Lauren Hall, a District environmental scientist, lauds the District’s Division of Facilities and Transportation, whose staff members quickly provided additional boats for rescues and covered trucks for transporting sea turtles.

“I think the reason why it was such a successful effort was because so many people contributed,” says Hall. “Along with biologists, duck hunters and anglers were helping retrieve sea turtles from the water.”

Most of the affected sea turtles were green turtles, with smaller numbers of loggerheads, Kemp’s Ridley and hawksbill turtles. Statewide, cold-stunned sea turtles were found stranded in inshore water in Brevard, St. Lucie, Martin, Indian River, Monroe, Bay, Gulf, Pinellas,  Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties. Those collected from the lagoon ranged in size from “dinner plates to some that had to be carried by stretcher,” notes Hall.

About 80 percent of the turtles were released back into the lagoon once the water temperature raised to a safe level. The remaining survivors were retained for triage or transported for rehabilitation.

“The day of the release was strangely emotional,” Hall says. “It was a great feeling to look out on the lagoon and see the sea turtles’ heads pop up out of the water as they swam off.”

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