I've watched more turtles die in the last five months than I have in the last 15 years. Many turtles were found only because the illness filled their lungs with foam. That kept them afloat when they could no longer swim, Moretti says. Scientists are working to find what's causing the disease. They perform necropsies on dead animals.
Live ones get a variety of medicines, ultrasounds and other tests.
In the basement of Clearwater's aquarium, the ceiling is too low for Harman to stand straight. He leans over the fish tank and picks up a turtle. A shark bit off its left flipper, leaving only a few inches of shiny bone sticking out. Its right rear flipper also is gone, lost in an earlier shark attack. The aquarium's vet plans to amputate the shoulder joint, Harman says.