Green sea turtle Jim is deemed ready for release. Jim is one of 10 sea turtles the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Care Center recently has rehabilitated and released.
- Provided
top story editor's pick
Maddy Quon covers Charleston County for The Post and Courier. Most recently from Tokyo, Japan, Maddy graduated from the University of Mississippi where she studied journalism.
Madeline Quon
The South Carolina Aquarium reached a big milestone in its sea turtle rescue and conservation efforts, releasing its 400th rehabilitated turtle.
Jim, a juvenile green sea turtle named in memory of a longtime aquarium employee who passed away last year, was joined by nine other sea turtles released on Feb. 27 at Little Talbot Island State Park in Jacksonville, Fla.
Rehabilitating and releasing sea turtles is the work of the aquarium’s Sea Turtle Care Center, which was established when the aquarium expanded its turtle program in 2017. Turtle care was not part of the institution's original mission, but it became a critical addition to the operation both for environmental and financial reasons. Initially managed by volunteers, the program has become one of the eastern seaboard's most prominent. Melissa Ranly, the Sea Turtle Care Center manager, said the aquarium has the only sea turtle hospital in South Carolina, so they take in turtles from all along the coast.
News
10 Mile community near Awendaw further protected with 'historic' rezoning
- By Maddy Quonmquon@postandcourier.com
The care center has grown over the years, and now it’s a “state-of-the-art hospital” replete with surgical suite, CT scanners and X-ray machines, Ranly said. In the beginning, the staff treated only one or two turtles per year, but now attend to between 40 and 60.
The aquarium’s care center partners with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. Jeff Schwenter, a biologist with agency’s Marine Turtle Conservation Program, said if people come across stranded sea turtles, they call DNR to the scene whose staff will transport living sea turtles in need of rehabilitation to the aquarium.
DNR doesn’t house any of the turtles, because the agency doesn't have the expertise or space, he said.
“We rely on South Carolina Aquarium heavily to take those animals in and do what they do best,” Schwenter said.
News
Coastal Conservation League loses appeal to stop use of penny tax for Mark Clark extension
- By Maddy Quonmquon@postandcourier.com
This release group was composed of the three most common species the aquarium sees: green, Kemp’s ridley and loggerhead sea turtles. They’re all either threatened or endangered.
Once they release a sea turtle into the wild, the aquarium still is able to keep track of them. Ranly said all turtles receive a microchip — also called a pet tag — so if they’re ever stranded again, or caught as part of a research project, the tag can be scanned and all of the turtle’s history, maintained in a database, can be accessed.
Seven of the 10 sea turtles released this time were named after cheeses, like Burrata, Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Romano. Ranly said the staff and volunteers vote every year for a theme to name the turtles, for fun and to remember what year the turtle was brought in. Different kinds of cheeses won last year; this year, she revealed, the theme will be different kinds of breakfast foods.
Proposed changes to Historic Preservation Ordinance raise concerns with settlement communities
Schwenter said while there’s all sorts of causes that lead to sea turtles washing ashore, interaction with watercraft and recreational fisheries are the main reason for these strandings.
“We’re not trying to vilify people going fishing or out on their boats,” he said. “It’s just that there’s a lot of people along the coast, and there’s a lot of turtles out there, and they overlap. When you’re out on your boat, to the best of your ability, have somebody keep watch.”
If you come across a stranded sea turtle or a sea turtle in distress, call the DNR Wildlife Hotline at 1-800-922-5431.
Reach Maddy Quon at mquon@postandcourier.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaddyQuon.
Madeline Quon
Maddy Quon covers Charleston County for The Post and Courier. Most recently from Tokyo, Japan, Maddy graduated from the University of Mississippi where she studied journalism.
- Author email
