Helping Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles at the STAR Center

Over at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, things are heating up with cold-stunned sea turtles in the STAR Center. STAR stands for Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation, and currently there are 34 green, Kemp’s Ridley and loggerhead sea turtles in the facility receiving assistance. The center has helped about 50 sea turtles so far this cold-stun season, which typically begins in November and runs through March.

Cold stunning is a condition similar to hypothermia. When water temperatures suddenly drop, it can harm these aquatic reptiles, causing them to not be able to swim properly and opening them up to secondary infections like upper respiratory problems and pneumonia. When this happens, they float to the surface and wash in on wind and waves. The cold-stunned sea turtles are frequently rescued from the sound and ocean waters this time of year, mostly from the sound. When temperatures fall, volunteers with the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (NEST) and biologists with the National Park Service comb the ocean and sound shorelines to look for turtles in trouble. This time of year, most cold-stunned sea turtles are found on the soundside between Avon and Ocracoke, says STAR Center Manager Amber Hitt.

North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island's STAR Center houses sea turtles in need of rehabilitation.

Trained biologists and volunteers transport the cold-stunned sea turtles to the STAR Center, where Hitt and her staff member and volunteers begin the process of gradually warming up the turtles. Once a sea turtle is at a healthy body temperature, it is observed swimming and diving and undergoes some bloodwork. If all looks good, it can go back to the water. If not, it can be a sign of complications other than cold-stunning, and the turtle requires a longer rehabilitation period. Hitt says turtles stay from anywhere from a week or two to up to a year, depending on what they’re being treated for. At the STAR Center, the crew names the turtles, to help keep track of them and entertain themselves. This winter season, they’re naming the turtles after Muppets. The turtles are fed fish like herring, mackerel, squid, shrimp and clams. The green sea turtles get vegetables like kale and lettuce from the aquarium garden or from volunteers' gardens.

Getting the turtles back to the sea is a process in itself. Sometimes the turtles hitch a ride with fishermen or Coast Guard crew going to the Gulf Stream for the day. Sometimes they are transported to warmer waters in more southerly states or released in local waters. Hitt says all of the sea turtle rehabilitation centers on the East Coast are in constant communication at this time of year, coordinating efforts to save sea turtles. She says New England rehabilitation centers can get thousands of cold-stunned turtles a year, and N.C. facilities will help take them on. "It’s very much a team effort, not just within the state but everywhere," Hitt says.

STAR Center Manager Amber Hitt monitors a cold-stunned turtle.

See the Turtles

What’s really cool is that the STAR Center is partially open to the public. When you pay for admission to the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, you can walk through STAR Center and see some of the residents swimming in their big warm pools. A volunteer or a staff member is on hand to answer questions.

This time of year North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is delightfully uncrowded, so you can take your time and linger in front of exhibits as long as you like. The staff is also less busy, so they have more time to answer your questions about the otters, alligators, sharks, sea turtles, fish, jellyfish, skates, rays and all the other critters. Currently, you have to reserve a time to visit in advance and make your reservations online. Remember that masks are required. You can find all the information you need here. While the aquarium is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the STAR Center is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Turtles at the STAR Center reside in a big plastic tub with warm water until they are ready to be released.

Help the Turtles

If you want to help with caring for the sea turtles, a great way to do that is to purchase something from the STAR Center Amazon Wish List. Here is the link. The list has items from turtle skin protectants to water pumps, work gloves to detergents to big plastic bins. Hitt says there is a variety of price ranges for goods, so everyone can find something within their budget. Plus, when you purchase you can note whether or not you want a tax-deduction receipt for your donation.