2 Cold-Stunned Green Sea Turtles Rescued From Stranding At Smith Point Since Friday

SHIRLEY, NY — Two cold-stunned sea turtles were rescued in separate strandings at Smith Point County Park since Friday, Maxine Montello, executive director of the New York Marine Rescue Center, said Tuesday.

The first turtle washed up on Friday, followed by the second one on the bay side on Monday morning, and both are in critical condition at the rescue center's headquarters in Riverhead.

The one from Friday is "okay for now," though the one rescued on Monday had a .6 Celsius body temperature so it's in "pretty critical condition," Montello said.

Residents also reported finding seahorses along the beach.

While Montello noted she is not an expert on seahorses, she said that any marine life caught close to the shore would likely be suffering the effects of the cold.

The turtles found at Smith Point are not the only ones rescued in the New York metro area, as the start of the season has ramped up due to freezing temperatures.

The rescue season began Nov. 25, and since then, the group has taken in about 28 sea turtles across Long Island with the bulk coming from last weekend.

The first turtle came in on Nov. 25 in Southampton, and then there were not any more until Friday when there were two, including the one at Smith Point. That was followed by two on Saturday, and six on Sunday.

"On Monday, we had 12," Montello said. "And today, we're up to eight. So they're coming in pretty fast."

At least 40 percent of them have been on the north side of the South Fork, like Foster Memorial Beach and the Elizabeth Morton Wildlife Refuge in the Sag Harbor area, followed by the North Shore. But in the last 24 hours, the turtles have come in across Long Island on both the north and the south in areas like Asharoken, Northport, Huntington, and Goldsmith Inlet Park, and Brightwaters.

Montello said it is important that residents be informed about reporting cold-stunnings.

If a turtle is seen swimming in the shallow water, a stranding is not far behind.

The creatures will often swim in the shallow water in the sun to warm themselves, and on land they might even appear dead on the beach, but that might not be the case.

"We actually treat every turtle that comes in during the season as alive," she said. "These animals are cold-blooded, so they don't regulate their internal temperature, and so the water is actually making them really cold and debilitated."

"They might have, like, the littlest movement, or a heartbeat of one beat per minute, so it's really important for them to come back to our facility," she said.

It's also important that residents do not attempt to warm the turtles themselves.

"By talking to one of our biologists, we'll be able to get out into the field to rescue these guys," she said. "And so the faster we can get out there, that increases their survival tremendously. We slowly warm them up over a a course of five days, and so it's important for people to know, one, to call the hotline, two, not to warm up these animals."

The New York Marine Rescue Center's hotline can be reached at 631-369-9829.