Community Corner

Massive Endangered Sea Turtle Washes up Dead in Falmouth Heights

A dead sea turtle with a body longer than one of an average 11 year old child washed ashore in Falmouth Heights last week, the Falmouth Enterprise reports.

The four-and-a-half-foot leatherback sea turtle was spotted on the shore in front of Tides Motel on Clinton Avenue. Leatherback turtles, which are an endangered species, usually weigh 800 to 1,000 pounds, although some exceed 2,000 pounds in rare cases.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the turtle's cause of death was "lacerations caused by a ship’s propeller." It was the first known turtle death reported this year.

Leatherbacks get stranded on beaches due to their massive size and swimming habits, Robert Prescott, the northeast stranding coordinator for National Marine Fisheries (NMF), tells the Enterprise. 

According to NOAA, less than half a dozen strandings occur each year, with a very small survival rate.

Leatherback turtles are an elusive species. The exact population of the remaining leatherbacks is unknown, and sightings are few and far between.

"In the last 10 years, the average number of sightings of leatherbacks annually in Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod Bay, Vineyard Sound and Nantucket Sound combined has been about 30 per year," the Enterprise reports.

What to do if you see a sea turtle: The NOAA asks that the public reports all sea turtle sightings, dead or alive. Then, they can urge fishermen and boaters to keep an eye open. To report a sighting, call Sea Turtle Sighting Hotline for Southern New England Boaters at 800-732-8878.

If the turtle spotted is tangled in fishing equipment, call the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies’ Disentanglement Hotline at 800-900-3622. 


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