June 16, 2010 – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) continues to monitor the effects of the BP oil spill on sea turtles and marine mammals in the Gulf of Mexico, with an updated report released almost daily. Yesterday's report stated that, between Sunday, June 13, and Monday, June 14, 8 turtle strandings were verified (2 dead from Mississippi, 2 dead from Florida, 4 dead from Louisiana.)
Also of note in the report is that the on-water turtle rescue operation captured 11 heavily-oiled turtles on Monday (June 14) and brought them ashore for rehabilitation at the Audubon Nature Institute outside New Orleans.
According to NOAA, there are now 78 sea turtles in rehabilitation centers. These include 53 heavily-oiled sea turtles captured as part of the on-water rescue operation and 25 turtles that stranded alive.
In the slide show below are pictures of one of the rescued Kemp's ridley turtles being cared for at the Audubon Nature Institute just outside New Orleans, Louisiana.
Oil spill impacts to wildlife in the Gulf:
Gulf oil spill environmental impact: Louisiana ibis, terns, barriers, diving in oil (video, photos)
Gulf oil spill: New wildlife pictures, terns, gulls, pelicans, a turtle, a fish, lucky birds video
Gulf oil spill impact pictures: Cat Island brown pelican chicks, struggle for birds on Grand Isle
Gulf oil spill: Environmental impact, East Grand Terre Island, brown pelicans struggle (pictures)
Gulf oil spill: Environmental impact in pictures, the plight of Queen Bess Island, brown pelicans
Gulf oil spill: What's at risk? Breton National Wildlife Refuge, Teddy Roosevelt visits (video)
More oil spill news:
Gulf oil spill: Alabama beaches hit hard, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach (pictures, videos)
To see one coral reef area at risk in the Gulf of Mexico:
Gulf oil spill disaster: BP update, oil spill flow counter and a look beneath Gulf waters (video)
Get an underwater view of what's polluting the Gulf now:
Gulf oil spill: NOAA ship to study underwater oil plume, Cousteau says it's a nightmare (video)
Background from NOAA:
A total of 430 sea turtles have been verified from April 30 to June 14 within the designated spill area from the Texas/Louisiana border to Apalachicola, Florida.
A total of 68 stranded or captured turtles have had visible evidence of external oil since verifications began on April 30. These include the 59 captured or collected turtles from the on-water operation (53 live turtles, 3 collected dead and 3 that died in rehabilitation), five live stranded turtles (two caught in skimming operations), and four dead stranded sea turtles. All others have not had visible evidence of external oil.
Of the 430 turtles verified from April 30 to June 14, a total of 338 stranded turtles were found dead, 33 stranded alive. Four of those subsequently died. Four live stranded turtles were released, and 25 live stranded turtles are being cared for at rehabilitation centers. Turtle strandings during this time period have been much higher in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle than in previous years for this same time period. This may be due in part to increased detection and reporting, but this does not fully account for the increase.
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