Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Virginia Beach, VA – This winter, the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center’s Stranding Response Team documented 77 cold-stunned sea turtles from November 2024 to early 2025. This record-breaking number doubles the recent seasonal averages of cold-stunned turtles, with 31 cold-stun sea turtle strandings over the 2023-2024 season and 25 cold-stuns during the winter of 2022-2023.
The Stranding Response Team documents cold-stunned turtles from along the 7,000 miles of coast in Virginia, as well as all other causes of strandings for live and dead marine mammals and sea turtles. This season, 27 live turtles were admitted for rehabilitation at the Darden Marine Animal Conservation Center (DMACC). This included 15 green sea turtles, six loggerhead sea turtles, and six critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. Many of these turtles arrived at the DMACC non-responsive and in critical condition. Unfortunately, eight sea turtles did not respond to emergency intervention and died within the first few hours of being admitted to the rehabilitation facility.
“Cold-stunned sea turtles frequently require emergency care for stabilization during our initial triage exam,” said Dr. Allyson McNaughton, Virginia Aquarium’s Chief of Veterinary Science and Research and lead on the Stranding Response Team. “If turtles survive the acute hypothermia, they often end up requiring intensive long-term medical care. Many of their physiologic functions are negatively impacted by the cold-stun event. Their immune systems can be severely compromised, and frequently leads to development of severe pneumonia, sepsis, or other secondary infections.”
In addition to responding to strandings in Virginia, the Stranding Response Team is proud to collaborate with other organizations along the Atlantic coast in efforts to rehabilitate and release cold-stunned sea turtles. In previous cold-stun seasons, sea turtles originally stranding in the Northeast have been transferred to the DMACC for long-term care and release. This season, the Stranding Response Team combined efforts and coordinated with other stranding organizations for transportation and release trips. Following treatment at DMACC, 17 sea turtles were transported for release in the warmer waters of Florida and North Carolina. Currently, only two sea turtles currently remain in care at the DMACC.
Although this season was a record-breaking year for the Virginia Aquarium, the numbers are relatively low when compared to the large cold-stunning events along the Northeast Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, where turtles may strand in the hundreds at once. However, the higher-than-average cold-stun cases in Virginia still resulted in a very busy year for the Stranding Response Team, due to the intense nature of these cases and the months of rehabilitation often required.
The Stranding Response Program was officially formed in 1991, and in 2009, became the coordinating agency for sea turtle strandings in Virginia. The program has documented over 3,500 marine mammals and over 6,700 sea turtle strandings since its inception and is supported by generous donations that help sustain its critical conservation work.
As the water temperatures warm up during spring and summer, sea turtles will migrate back into the Virginia region. The Stranding Response Team has begun preparing to respond to sea turtles incidentally hooked by recreational anglers. If a beachgoer or a member of the public sees a sea turtle or marine mammal on the beach or in distress, they should call the Aquarium’s Stranding 24/7 hotline at 757-385-7575.
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center’s mission is to connect people to the marine environment, inspiring a more sustainable future. The Aquarium aspires to be a driver in conservation, education, tourism, and sustainability, leading the charge to save wildlife and their ecosystems. Owned by the City of Virginia Beach, the Aquarium operates as a city department in partnership with the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Foundation. The Aquarium is proud to be an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports the work of the Virginia Aquarium. The Foundation procures and maintains the Aquarium's exhibits, including the animals and habitats. It is also responsible for annual and capital fundraising, administration and funding for the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Program, conservation and scientific research efforts, and the Aquarium's mission-related education programs. You can be a part of our mission by making a tax-deductible donation to support our programming.
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