Sea turtle dies after attempted rescue on Oregon Coast

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A sea turtle found stranded on the Oregon Coast on Nov. 18 has died despite the Seaside Aquarium’s efforts to nurse the turtle back to health.

The 60-pound Olive Ridley sea turtle was found Monday evening on Gearhart Beach, north of Seaside. Aquarium staff responded to the beach and brought the female turtle to Seaside for treatment.

“She was quite active for a cold-stunned sea turtle and was even moving around a bit,” the Seaside Aquarium said. “... While she was still alive and active, her body temperature was dangerously low and unfortunately she passed away on Wednesday.”

During the winter, cold-stunned sea turtles can become stranded on Oregon and Washington beaches. Reports of stranded sea turtles start as early as mid-October and can continue into March. When stranded in cold regions, sea turtles slow down and become hypothermic.

“Sea turtles forage for food in an offshore, warm water current,” the Seaside Aquarium said. “Weather conditions, such as a long, constant string of south-southwesterly winds, can drive the warm water current, and therefore the turtles, further north and closer to shore than normal. When the weather conditions suddenly change, the warm waters quickly dissipate and the turtles find themselves trapped in the colder waters of the natural currents running along the Oregon and Washington Coasts.”

It can be difficult to determine if a stranded sea turtle is dead or alive, the aquarium said. Turtles suffering from extreme hypothermia can be unresponsive to touch and have a slowed, nearly undetectable heartbeat. Most sea turtles found on the Oregon and Washington coasts do not survive.

Sea Turtles who do survive the strandings are brought to one of two local, licensed rehab facilities: The Oregon Coast Aquarium or the Seattle Aquarium. The surviving turtles can take weeks to recover and are ultimately released back into the wild in warmer California waters.