Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation
During the winter months, the Oregon coast witnesses a sharp increase in sea turtle strandings. Pacific green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) and olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) are two species that most commonly strand in the Pacific Northwest, and both are protected by the Endangered Species Act.
The Aquarium partners with the Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network and other wildlife organizations to respond and treat stranded sea turtles. The Aquarium’s past successful rehabilitation and releases of stranded endangered sea turtles serve as evidence for the positive impacts of sea turtle rescue; the return of reproductively viable sea turtles back into wild breeding populations is critical for species recovery.
