Sea turtles strandings have increased dramatically. Congress might create a fund to bail them out

PORTLAND, Maine — Sea turtle strandings have ticked up at an alarming rate in New England, but now the reptiles are close to receiving a lifeline from Congress to help them stay in the water.

Congress is nearing passage of the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act, which would create a new $33 million federal grant program to fund institutions around the country that rescue, rehabilitate and research stranded turtles. The aid would arrive as scientists and federal authorities are sounding the alarm that an increasing number of cold-stunned turtles are washing up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, likely as a result of climate change.

Less than 50 sea turtles were found stranded on Cape Cod in 2000, but by 2022 that number ballooned to 866, said Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts. Quick action is needed to help the turtles because all six species of sea turtle found in the U.S. are threatened or endangered, Markey said.

Turtles face “extinction and environmental wipeout” without assistance, said Markey, the sponsor of the turtle act.

“Our current rescue efforts are largely volunteer and underfunded, forcing our aquariums to shell out to keep our shelled friends safe,” he said. “We will not let these rescue and rehabilitation organizations, much less sea turtles, sink.”

The annual average number of cold-stunned turtles in Massachusetts has also increased over time. Two decades ago it was 139, and in the past five years it has increased to 739, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in June.

The sea turtle act was placed on the Senate’s calendar after unanimously passing the commerce, science and transportation committee on July 31, records state. A similar measure, introduced by Democratic Rep. Bill Keating of Massachusetts, passed the House of Representatives earlier in the year.

Both proposals have bipartisan support, and the Senate measure is cosponsored by Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.

Sea turtles sometimes become cold-stunned because they’re unable to regulate their body temperatures. In recent years, hundreds of those turtles have become stranded in Massachusetts. The New England Aquarium operates a Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, Massachusetts, that treats the animals, who sometimes need months of care before they can be re-released into the marine environment.

Providing more assistance to organizations that care for stranded turtles “would have a significant impact on the continuation of this collaborative conservation work and the resulting research to solve ocean challenges,” said Vikki Spruill, president and CEO of the New England Aquarium, in support of the proposal last year.