Sea Turtle Week

Happy Sea Turtle Week!

For more than 25 years, the New England Aquarium has partnered with Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary to rescue, rehabilitate, and release thousands of endangered and threatened sea turtles. Our rescue team at the Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, MA are celebrating Sea Turtle Week, June 8 – June 16, by highlighting the three species in their care!

Every year on June 16, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries celebrates sea turtles and conservation efforts to protect these remarkable animals. Of course, we support any opportunity to celebrate sea turtles!

But first, a little primer on these marine reptiles. There are seven species of sea turtles; all six species found in U.S. waters are protected by the endangered species act: green, loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, hawksbill, Olive ridley, and leatherback. The flatback sea turtle is found only near Australia. NOAA offers a few ways that your community can come together to help sea turtles:

• Talk to your family and friends! Sharing the story gets others involved and helps them know the dangers faced by turtles.
• Reduce the amount of garbage along the coast and in local marine habitats. This includes removing trash that can be ingested by turtles and discarded fishing line that can cause entanglements.
• Watch out for turtles while boating to avoid ship strikes.
• Don’t feed wildlife, including sea turtles.
• If you see an injured, entangled, or stranded sea turtle, please call the appropriate authorities in your area.

Sea Turtles at the
New England Aquarium

Come visit the three sea turtles in our Giant Ocean Tank. There are two rescued loggerhead sea turtles, Retread and Carolina, and one green sea turtle, Myrtle.