[Mike]

10/16/05
More sick, dead sea turtles found

http://www.venicegondolier.com/NewsArchive3/101605/vn4.htm

Officials with Mote Marine Laboratory were busy this week rescuing
three injured or sick sea turtles from Charlotte County waters, and
picking up six dead turtles from Manasota Key to Casey Key.

Two sick turtles and one injured turtle were found Sunday, according
to a Mote report.

Mote officials rescued what they called a sub-adult loggerhead from
Little Gasparilla Island and a juvenile green sea turtle from under a
Boca Grande dock. Both showed symptoms of being exposed to red tide.

A third sea turtle, a juvenile Kemp’s ridley, was found by fishermen
near Port Charlotte Beach Park Pier. The turtle was tangled in a
fishing line and had two hooks in its mouth and throat, the report
stated.

All three were transferred to Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation
Hospital in Sarasota.

Mote is currently treating eight turtles: four Kemp’s ridleys, three
loggerheads and one green turtle.

This year has been particularly devastating to area sea turtles. Mote
has reported some 120 sea turtle deaths since July 1. The average for
deaths during that time period is about 30.

Mote picked up four dead sea turtles Monday. One turtle was retrieved
from Manasota Key, one from Venice and two were recovered from Casey
Key. Two more dead sea turtles were picked up Tuesday from Caspersen
Beach in Venice.

Red tide, which has lingered off Southwest Florida since January, is
believed to be responsible for most of the deaths, according to Mote.
Researchers, however, won’t be able to make a final determination
until tissue and blood samples can be analyzed.

By Gavin Off
Assistant Englewood Editor