After hundreds of sea turtles were discovered dead off Central America’s coast, Gainesville sea turtle experts are theorizing about the cause of the deaths.
About 300 to 400 sea turtle bodies were found off the coast of El Salvador between Oct. 28 and Nov. 2, according to National Geographic.
UF graduate student Daniel Evans, who is a researcher at Sea Turtle Conservancy in Gainesville, said he suspects the die-off was caused by red tide, which is algal blooms containing red toxins from runoff water.
“Turtles cover a very large area during their migration, so because this was so concentrated, we know that it is tied to a specific event,” he said. “Red tide does seem like a valid explanation for it.”
David Godfrey, the executive director of the conservatory, said researchers in El Salvador are examining the tissue, blood and stomach content to assess if the animals died from the red tide toxins. The blooms most likely grew due to climate change, Godfrey said.
“The algal most likely bloomed as a result of increased ocean water temperature due to global warming and/or agricultural runoff,” Godfrey said.
Godfrey said he has hope for the turtles despite the die-off. The species was promoted from the list of endangered animals to the list of vulnerable ones in 2008, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
“It is absolutely terrible that these turtles are dying in such large numbers, but it is worth noting that despite the terrible die-off, there are hundreds of thousands of olive ridley,” Godfrey said. “The species is doing quite well.”
