Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation

Turtles at our Sea Turtle Hospital practice foraging for food Photo: Vanessa Kahn

The New England Aquarium is home to three well-known sea turtles—Myrtle, Carolina, and Retread—but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. At the Sea Turtle Hospital in our Quincy Animal Care Center, we rehabilitate hundreds of injured turtles each year.

Sea Turtle Rescue

For more than 25 years, the New England Aquarium has partnered with Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary to rescue, rehabilitate, and release endangered and threatened cold-stunned sea turtles on Cape Cod.

Learn who to call if you find a turtle in distress

Sea turtles arrive at the Aquarium's turtle hospital in need of immediate care. Photo: Vanessa Kahn

What is Cold-stunning?

As cold-blooded reptiles, sea turtles depend on the temperature of their surroundings to maintain their body temperature. When water temperatures decline, sea turtles can suffer from a form of hypothermia called cold-stunning. Each fall in Cape Cod Bay, some turtles get stuck in the cooling waters, become cold-stunned, and wash up on beaches.

Sea Turtle Rehabilitation

Our rescue team works diligently to care for the turtles in our Sea Turtle Hospital. Treatment can last from several months to two years until a turtle is healthy enough to be able to be released into the ocean.

Staff at the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital treat sick and injured sea turtles. — Staff at the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital treat sick and injured sea turtles Photo: Vanessa Kahn

Transport and Release

Working in coordination with the Aquarium and NOAA, Turtles Fly Too transports medically stable sea turtles to other rehab facilities so they can be released in warmer waters. Up to 85% of the turtles that remain in our Sea Turtle Hospital are released back into the ocean.

Track A Selection of Released Turtles

Rescue staff load a Turtles Fly Too plane with sea turtles ready for relocation. Photo: Vanessa Kahn

Sea Turtle Release

Watch as seven rehabilitated sea turtles were released back into the ocean off of Cape Cod. This group of turtles included two green sea turtles, and five loggerheads. The two green sea turtles were satellite tagged, which allows us to collect data on where the turtles swim, feed, and travel.

Veterinary staff help care for turtles at the Sea Turtle Hospital. Photo: Vanessa Kahn

By the Numbers

518 total turtles admitted to the turtle hospital in 2022

442

Kemp’s ridley turtles

53

green sea turtles

23

loggerhead turtles

Make a Difference for Sea Turtles

Your support makes a difference for threatened and endangered marine life everywhere by helping provide the Aquarium with the resources to conduct research, advocate, and rehabilitate.

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Using Science to Protect Turtles

Our researchers and Anderson Cabot Center scientists work to advance the well-being of sea turtles in our care and in the wild.

Tracking Loggerhead Sea Turtles with Acoustic Telemetry

In 2021 and 2022, New England Aquarium researchers surgically implanted acoustic tags in loggerhead sea turtles for the very first time. See what they learned from tracking the turtles' movements.

Scientists Pioneer Tagging Procedure for Threatened Sea Turtles

Scientists aim to save loggerhead turtles with data from implanted acoustic tags.

Analyzing Leatherback Entanglements

Reporting entanglements instead of attempting to help is critical for saving lives.

Take Action for Sea Turtle Conservation

Your support of the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Act is needed to help advance critical rescue and rehabilitation efforts for sea turtles.

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