National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

U.S. Department of

NOAA’s Oil Spill Response 

Sea Turtle Strandings an

the Deepwater Oil Spill 

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Sea turtle stranding responders, working under the 

guidance of the Wildlife Branch Unit of the Unified 

Command, which includes several NOAA experts, are 

responding to dead and live sea turtle strandings and 

offshore teams are searching for and rescuing oiled sea 

turtles from the spill area. 

Credit: University of California, Davis 

All the live oiled 

turtles are cleaned of 

oil and are being treated 

and cared for at one of 

four primarily de-oiling 

centers across the 

northern Gulf of 

Mexico or at secondary 

rehabilitation facilities once they are stabilized. 

NOAA experts are examining turtles that have 

stranded in the area affected by the oil spill to determine, 

if possible, whether their deaths can be linked to oil, or 

another cause. All of the turtles are being sampled 

externally for oil and tissue samples are being taken 

during necropsy when the condition of the carcass is 

sufficiently fresh. The majority of the turtles recovered as 

strandings have not had external oil. 

In contrast, the vast majority of turtles captured 

offshore during directed surveys are externally oiled. 

Aerial surveys have documented sea turtles swimming in 

oiled areas and in unoiled areas. We do believe that this 

spill will significantly affect sea 

turtles in the Gulf of Mexico. 

General Effects of Oil on Sea Turtles 

Sea turtles may be exposed to chemicals in oil or to 

chemicals in products such as dispersants used in two 

ways: internally (eating or swallowing oil, consuming 

prey containing oil based chemicals, or inhaling of 

volatile oil related compounds) and externally 

(swimming in oil or dispersants). 

Several aspects of sea turtle behavior put them at 

risk including the importance to turtles of surface 

convergence areas, typically highly productive areas 

where ocean currents converge and where oil has been 

found. These areas provide feeding and sheltering habitat 

to sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico, especially the young, 

early life stage animals. 

Sea turtles are air breathers and all must come to the 

surface frequently to breathe. In an oil spill, they may 

be exposed to volatile chemicals at the surface 

during inhalation. 

Additionally, sea turtles may experience oiling 

impacts on nesting beaches when they come ashore to lay 

their eggs, and their eggs may be exposed during 

incubation potentially resulting in increased egg mortality 

and/or possibly developmental defects in hatchlings. 

(contined on back) 
Hatchlings emerging from their nests may encounter 

oil on the beach and in the water as they begin their lives 

at sea. 

External Effects: Oil and other chemicals on skin 

and body may result in skin and eye irritation, burns to 

mucous membranes of eyes and mouth, and increased 

susceptibility to infection. 

Internal Effects: Inhalation of volatile organics from 

oil or dispersants may result in respiratory irritation, 

tissue injury, and pneumonia. Ingestion of oil or 

dispersants may result in gastrointestinal inflammation, 

ulcers, bleeding, diarrhea, and maldigestion. Absorption 

of inhaled and 

ingested chemicals 

may damage organs 

such as the liver or 

kidney, result in 

anemia and immune 

suppression, or lead 

to reproductive 

failure or death. 

Reasons for Sea Turtle Strandings 

There are thousands of sea turtle strandings every 

year along the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. east coast. 

NOAA is working to understand why sea turtles are 

stranding in the area of interest. In previous years, this 

same area has experienced increased strandings during 

this time of year. The stranding numbers we are seeing 

currently in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama are 

much higher than normal, however. This may be due in 

part to increased detection and reporting, but this does not 

fully account for the increase. 

The primary human cause for sea turtle deaths in the 

Gulf of Mexico is bycatch in fishing gear. Bycatch in 

shrimp trawls is recognized as a leading source of sea 

turtle mortality if Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) are not 

properly used or not required. 

The other primary types of fishing gear that 

incidentally catch and can kill sea turtles include longline 

gear and gillnets. Vessel strikes also cause mortality of 

sea turtles, especially where turtle abundance and vessel 

activity are high, such as areas near ports, marinas, and 

navigation channels. 

There are five sea turtle species in the Gulf of 

Mexico: Kemp’s ridley, leatherback, hawksbill, and green 

sea turtles are listed as endangered under the Endangered 

Species Act; loggerhead sea turtles are listed as 

threatened but are currently proposed for endangered 

listing in the western North Atlantic, which includes the 

Gulf of Mexico. 

Rehabilitating Oiled Sea Turtles 

The Wildlife Branch, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle 

Unit of the Unified Command has implemented 

region-wide protocols for caring for turtles in distress and 

established four rehabilitation/de-oiling centers: one in 

Louisiana, one in Mississippi, and two in Florida. 

Additional facilities are on standby if needed. 

NOAA is working closely 

with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, through the Unified 

Command, on addressing issues 

of concern on sea turtle nesting 

beaches in the Gulf of Mexico as 

well. Wildlife teams on the water 

have been instructed to bring any 

turtles in distress back to 

shore for transport to the 

rehabilitation facilities. 

To get the latest numbers of 

sea turtle strandings and captures 

as part of the Wildlife Branch 

Unit’s on water search and rescue 

operation go to 

Sea turtles may experience 

oiling impacts on nesting

beaches when they come

ashore to lay their eggs. Their 

eggs may be exposed during

incubation potentially resulting 

in increased egg mortality 

and/or possibly developmental defects in hatchlings.

http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon. 

Learn more about NOAA’s response to the BP oil spill 

at http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/deepwaterhorizon. 

To learn more about NOAA, visit http://www.noaa.gov.

July 20, 2010