With temperatures predicted to fall to the low to mid-30s and a north wind this weekend, N.E.S.T. coordinator Frank Welles is sending out patrols for cold stunned sea turtles on Ocracoke on Sunday, Dec. 22, and Monday, Dec. 23.
If you are interested in assisting with patrolling for sea turtles along the sound on foot or via kayak, a volunteer will be providing a brief orientation at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, in front of the NPS trailer at 101 NPS Rd.
This location is where turtle transportation equipment is stored. Hip or chest waders will be useful in accessing marshy areas of the Pamlico Sound shoreline where the majority of cold stunned sea turtles wash up.
Sea turtles are ectotherms, meaning they are cold blooded and can’t regulate their body temperature like mammals. Instead, sea turtles must stay in warmer waters to maintain their metabolism.
When water temperatures are forecast to dip below 50 degrees, turtles’ internal temperatures can drop below 52 degrees and their physiological processes begin shutting down and they go into a state of hypothermic shock also known as “cold stunning.”
Record number of sea turtles rescued on Ocracoke during cold spell
Sea turtles that appear still or sluggish in the sound water or on a beach during winter months should not be pushed back into the water or moved. Instead, a sea turtle that appears to be in distress should be reported to the Sea Turtle Stranding Hotline via N.E.S.T. at 252-441-8622.
If you find a stranded sea turtle on Ocracoke Island please call the Cape Hatteras National Seashore stranding hotline at 252-216-6892.