A stranded loggerhead being rescued by SCCF staff and partners during the 2018 red tide event on Sanibel. Image by Alex Horn.

In addition to daily nesting surveys from April through October, SCCF also responds to and documents all sea turtle strandings on Sanibel and Captiva.

“Sea turtle strandings consist of both dead and live turtles, with the latter usually stranded due to an injury, illness, or other debilitating condition,” said SCCF Sea Turtle Biologist Jack Brzoza.

In 2024, SCCF documented 17 strandings. These included two live strandings — one green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and one loggerhead (Caretta caretta), which were each transported to Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium for rehabilitation. The remaining 15 strandings were dead turtles — 10 loggerheads, two green turtles, and two Kemp’s ridleys (Lepidochelys kempii).

This count is the lowest in 15 years and lower than the average annual count of 33 strandings over that same time frame excluding 2018, which was an unusually high year due to the substantial red tide event.

“In the instance of live strandings, SCCF performs the animal rescue and arranges transport to a nearby rehabilitation facility based on availability and condition of the turtle,” Brzoza said. “At minimum, deceased strandings get a full, standardized external examination. SCCF partners with the City of Sanibel for removal and burial off-site of deceased turtles.”

In some cases, deceased strandings are candidates for necropsy or sample collection, typically for research projects. These necropsies are sometimes performed by SCCF, and other times by biologists with the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

“Stranding response is an important aspect of sea turtle monitoring and conservation. Documentation allows local, state, and national agencies to monitor turtle mortality and identify unusual stranding events,” Brzoza said. “Learning about the causes of mortality at local and broader levels can identify increasing or emerging threats. This in turn can inform management decisions and inspire research and further investigation into mortality factors.”

In the winter, sea turtle strandings can also occur as part of cold-stunning events. In these instances, turtles become debilitated — lethargic and inactive — due to exposure to cold water temperatures.

Being ectotherms (cold-blooded), sea turtles’ body temperature is regulated by external sources such as water temperature and sunlight. Turtles exposed to water temperatures 50 degrees Fahrenheit and below are at risk of becoming cold-stunned.

“These turtles are often found floating inactive at the surface or washed ashore. They require care from rehabilitation facilities to raise their body temperature, and may even require veterinary care for any internal conditions that may have been caused by cold exposure,” Brzoza said. 

Prolonged cold weather in January 2010 resulted in a large cold-stunning event in Florida. SCCF responded and aided, along with many neighboring conservation organizations, in the rescue of many turtles affected here in Southwest Florida that winter.

SCCF has documented two sea turtle strandings so far in 2025, both deceased.

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