Something strange is happening to sea turtles in the Florida Keys, and scientists and conservationists are working together to understand why.
Stranded green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Southernmost island chain in the United States are showing high rates of internal and external tumors 51.5% to be exact. This is more than double the 22.6 percent incidence rate for green sea turtles in Florida overall.
The tumors are caused by fibropapillomatosis (FP), a "transmissible tumor disease of ecological importance," said Bette Zirkelbach, the manager at The Turtle Hospital in Marathon, FL who coordinated the study. Every species of sea turtle is affected, but green sea turtles, especially in the Florida Keys and around other developed islands, seem particularly prone. The wildlife rescue expert and education specialist explained how the tumors grow internally in sea turtles as well as externally on their eyes, flippers, necks and more. Tumors can inhibit critical activities such as foraging, swimming, ingestion, breathing and more, leading to hunger, distress and even death if untreated.
The Turtle Hospital has been treating sea turtles with FP tumors for more than 35 years. Now, they're collaborating with Annie Page-Karjian, an assistant research professor & clinical veterinarian at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University, and Force Blue, an organization that trains combat veterans and military divers for new ocean conservation missions, to complete the Florida Keys Sea Turtle Health Study and find the root of the disease.
The Florida Keys Sea Turtle Health Study is a novel, collaborative research project involving scientists, conservationists and veterans. David Gross
Page-Karjian, a marine disease ecology and sea turtle health expert, led the study. The goal was to conduct a health assessment of free-ranging juvenile green sea turtles in the Florida Keys. The waters are an exemplary foraging ground for these turtles, Zirkelbach added. Despite this, little is known about the movement, foraging ecology, and health of the local population.
"We are studying this disease in the region of the world where it is thought to have originated, to learn more about the epidemiology and pathophysiology of FP," Page-Karjian said. "This disease is enzootic in Florida's green sea turtles, a federally protected species, and can be debilitating or even fatal in some cases."
A green sea turtle named Tenora was euthanized in Sept. 2020 after having a large external tumor on her left shoulder and similar ones on her lungs. Tiffany Duong / Ocean Rebels
"Understanding the habitats of green turtles with this alarming FP rate is a crucial step toward elucidating factors that may contribute to the disease," Zirkelbach said. Because the Florida Keys waters host green sea turtles as they forage and grow, the waters are "of particular concern," she added.
Currently, threats to sea turtle health globally include environmental degradation, infectious diseases, biotoxins and chemical contaminants. FP has been observed in turtles around Florida, Texas, Hawaii, Africa, Australia, Cuba, Costa Rica, the Caribbean Islands and the Bahamas. It is primarily observed in sea turtles around developed coastlines, and studies suggest a link between FP and human impacts on the environment. Scientists believe the disease, which is related to a herpes virus, might be linked to warmer seas and polluted waters, Zirkelbach said. If this is the case, increases in ocean temperatures linked to the climate crisis could increase disease range and/or prevalence.
The Force Blue team provided primary funding and manpower for the study. The organization's mission is to redeploy Special Operations veterans into the world of marine conservation. As part of this project, the team trained for and participated in the capture and release of sea turtles on the water for this project. In South Florida, the group has contributed to other notable conservation work, including reattaching 100-year-old coral heads ripped up by hurricanes and helping to restore endangered corals ahead of Super Bowl LV.
The work also serves as a type of in-field, mission-based "therapy" for these warriors and military divers, Zirkelbach added. The veterans enjoy "a new mission and a sense of continued service" in fighting for the planet, Force Blue Executive Director Jim Ritterhoff said.
Force Blue team members trained on proper handling and release of sea turtles to participate in the study. Bette Zirkelbach / Turtle Hospital
Over 10 days, the field team collected, sampled, tagged and released 38 green sea turtles. All work was conducted pursuant to NMFS ESA Permit No. 21169 and FWC MTP 204.
Next, blood and tissue samples will be processed and analyzed to understand turtle diet, disease prevalence, biotoxins present and everything in between. The research team wants to know what is going on with turtles and what that can teach us about the health of the oceans.
For vulnerable and endangered species like sea turtles, emerging wildlife diseases like FP and other consequences of increased human activities threaten their future. Scientists and conservationists like the study team must come up with "innovative approaches" to help maintain healthy populations until the chronic underlying causes of these issues can be addressed, Zirkelbach said, quoting another study that the Turtle Hospital collaborated on.
So, what's the takeaway?
Page-Karjian explained. She said, "Sea turtles are considered suitable indicators of ecosystem health, so by understanding their health status, we can get a sense of things that are going right (and wrong) in their preferred habitat coastal seagrass ecosystems."
Because turtles are a sentinel for the seas, and due to the connectivity of planetary systems, we can extrapolate to the overall health of the oceans and the planet as we analyze the general state of wellness of sea turtles, Zirkelbach noted. She said, "Sea turtles have survived our planet for over 100 million years. What is happening to the health of sea turtles will eventually affect all life. Important data collected from projects like the Florida Keys Sea Turtle Health Study can help policy makers to better manage our marine ecosystems" for the benefit of all.
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read more:
Sea Turtles in the Florida Keys Have High Tumor Rates. Are Humans to Blame? - EcoWatch
- EU votes to ratify landmark High Seas Treaty - Euronews - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Cruise ship industry is booming despite spate of high-seas deaths - New York Post - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- The Indian seafarer deserves better in choppy high seas - The Hindu - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Pharrell Takes To The High Seas For Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2024 | Fashion - Clash Magazine - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- When it comes to fighting sea pirates, bones don't lie - Deccan Herald - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Seabirds spend nearly 40% of their time on high seas, study finds - NIWA - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- High seas drama: Cruise ship bound for Bahamas is diverted to Portland - Mainebiz - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- African Ports Overwhelmed By Red Sea Reroutings - gCaptain - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Party Pirates: A Hilarious Co-op Adventure on the High Seas - Game Is Hard - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Boat sinks in high seas off Malpe, eight fishermen rescued - Public TV English - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Arena's Swept Away is a Dark Tale on the High Seas with Music by Grammy Winners The Avett Brothers - The Zebra - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Money Memories: Finances on the high seas - Louisville Public Media - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- The Arctic Sunrise II Does the ISA have 'enforcement jurisdiction' on the High Seas? - EJIL: Talk! - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Severe Weather Impacting Multiple Cruise Ships - Cruise Hive - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Taking to the high seas for an up-close look at South Fork Wind - theday.com - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- High Waves and Rough Seas Forecast for Costa Rica Coasts - The Tico Times - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Diesel theft on the high seas: When international cargo ships meet fishing boats in the dead of night - The Indian Express - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Meet the couple who've been on more than 200 cruises - and love life on the high seas so much they're selling - Daily Mail - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Report to Congress on the U.N. Law of the Sea Convention - USNI ... - USNI News - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Simplifying Docker Installation on Linux - Linux Journal - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Mallory to Present 'Oceans Apart: Global Governance Approaches to ... - University of Arkansas Newswire - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- NEWS: A NEW 'Moana' Show Is Coming to the Disney Treasure ... - AllEars.Net - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Things to do Oct. 13-19 in the Chicago suburbs, Northwest Indiana - Chicago Tribune - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Marine "Biomimetics" Could Be the Blue Economy's Next Big Hit - The Maritime Executive - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- All eyes on France this Saturday evening - Offaly Independent - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- 80s-themed cruise: A blast to the past with P&O's high-sea adventure - New Zealand Herald - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- High seas glamour: what its like to cruise the world with Cunard - Executive Traveller - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Warfare MMO Foxhole is adding naval combat complete with huge ... - PC Gamer - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- One Piece Season 2 Cast: Every Character Expected to Appear - The Direct - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- The future of Portuguese football: the pitch, the pixels, and the promise - PortuGOAL.net - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Typhoon Koinu to cause high winds, rough waters in East Sea - VietNamNet - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Governing our seas using core principles of sustainability - Mail and Guardian - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- Marine Medium Speed Engine Oil Market: Navigating the High Seas ... - Digital Journal - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- Threats on the high seas and the Pak-Saudi partnership - Arab News Pakistan - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- China Wants to Burn Out Southeast Asian Navies - Foreign Policy - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- Sea of Thieves Will Have to Face the Reaper Sooner or Later - GameRant - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- Whine Wednesdays: Pigs On The High Seas Disgusting Behavior ... - LoyaltyLobby - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Carnival Now Looks in Ship Shape for the High Seas - RealMoney - RealMoney - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Why a new UN treaty to safeguard the high seas matters | Mint - Mint - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Navigating Unfairness on the High Seas: Class Action Waiver Clauses - Lexology - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- High-Seas Search for 39 Crewmembers of Capsized Chinese ... - The Maritime Executive - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Wager by David Grann review a rollicking and nuanced history of the high seas - The Guardian - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- A musician from Sauk Prairie sees the world on the high seas - WiscNews - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- How to obtain The Major-General minion in Final Fantasy XIV - Fanbyte - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- ShipRocked 2024: Artist Lineup Revealed For Hard Rockin Adventure On The High Seas! - Icon Vs. Icon - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Local playwright's Hollerwood show premiers at West T. Hill - The ... - Interior Journal - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Meth worth several thousand crores seized from high seas by Indian Navy, NCB - The News Minute - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Salute to Sailors: Navy employs technology and training to ready sailors - WHP Harrisburg - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Ocean Race Summit Newport urges recognition of the inherent ... - The Ocean Race - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Max Reveals All of the New Titles Coming to It's Platform In May ... - Just Jared Jr. - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Fisheries: agreement reached on sustainable management of ... - Oceans and fisheries - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- United Arab Emirates formally accepts Agreement on Fisheries ... - WTO Latest News - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Murky Tar Balls Reappear on Goa's Golden Beaches | Weather.com - The Weather Channel - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Study: Fishing Subsidies Support Unregulated Distant-Water Fishing - The Maritime Executive - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Rings Of Power's Morfydd Clark Hints At 'Quite A Lot Of New ... - Looper - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Chris Armstrong Short Cuts: High Seas Fishing LRB 18 May 2023 - London Review of Books - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- It's Chaos on the High Seas in New 'The Meg 2' Poster - Collider - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- From South Dakota to the high seas, the world gets less transparent - Coda Story - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Stepping up action - Nature.com - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Stricken Shiling tipped to return to Wellington the scene of its ... - Stuff - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Secretary ... - The White House - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Bangladesh: Dangerous Cyclone Mocha expected to make landfall ... - Save the Children International - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Stricken 294-metre Shiling tipped to return to Wellington - the scene ... - Stuff.co.nz - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Sneak peek: Inside Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, the largest cruise ship ever - The Points Guy - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War' is Celebrating Its 6th ... - Touch Arcade - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Is Deck 1 on a Cruise Ship Bad - Pros and Cons - Cruise Hive - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- US-Iran nuclear struggle is playing out on the high seas - The Telegraph - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Muscle Flexing In South China Sea: Why India-ASEAN War Games Send A Strong Signal To Beijing - ABP Live - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Everybody Has a Story: Surviving rough ride in a smelly ship - The Columbian - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Holiday warning over Majorca party boats loved by Brits as officials vow massive new crackdown... - The US Sun - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Dark waters: how the adventure of a lifetime turned to tragedy - The Guardian - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Guarding our seas and the blue economy - Philstar.com - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Driverless boats, enduring sensors on the special ops maritime menu - Defense News - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- List Of The Cleanest Cruise Ships In The World (2023) - Cruise Mummy - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Sea of Survivors: What if Vampire Survivors and Sea of Thieves had ... - Windows Central - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- All hands on deck as UN meets to protect high seas - February 18th, 2023 [February 18th, 2023]
- 'High Seas' Season 4 Canceled at Netflix Even After Initial Renewal - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- 'High Seas' Netflix Review: Stream It or Skip It? - Decider - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- What Is High Seas Governance? - National Oceanic and Atmospheric ... - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- Move Over Disney: Carnival Is Grooming on the High Seas - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]