The Research:
Of Pound Nets and Rapid Response Teams

In the Peconic Bay, fishermen use pound nets to catch a variety of fish, mostly herring, and at times, sea turtles inadvertently swim into the nets. When this happens, the fisherman call a hotline, which dispatches a rapid response team, including a biologist assisted by trained local volunteers. This system was established through the work of Chris Smith from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County with Rob DiGiovanni and Kim Durham at the Riverhead Foundation.

Once on site, each sea turtle receives a thorough workup, including a complete physical health assessment, photo documentation, skin biopsy, blood sampling, scute (shell) sampling and tagging.

A special characteristic that turtles are examined for is evidence of fibropapillomatosis (FP), a disfiguring disease plaguing sea turtles worldwide, which causes fibrous tumors to develop. While generally benign, these tumors can inhibit a turtle's ability to swim, eat or see, depending upon the location of the tumors; they can also grow internally, causing other health problems. FP has increased significantly over the past 10-15 years worldwide; one theory is that turtles may contract it during their juvenile years, so the Peconic Bay Sea Turtle Project study may assist in shedding light on turtle health during these formative years.

The exact cause of FP is still unknown, but several factors are believed to be involved, including the possibility of a combination of toxins suppressing immune response, and exposure to one or more infectious agents. Studies of the tumors in other parts of the world have found that some turtles with FP carry a herpes virus, so turtles in the Peconic Bay also will be screened for this virus.

If FP is found, it's important to explore possible correlations with environmental stressors so that appropriate action can be taken to protect turtles and the Peconic Bay/Long Island Sound ecosystem.

Our research indicates that the young turtles are visiting the same areas in similar abundances as in the previous study, although there seems to be an increase in the number of green turtles, which could signify that conservation measures are positively affecting the species.

A blood bank of samples has been assembled over the years, and testing will begin for virology, to see whether herpes is present, and toxicology, to test for the presence of select heavy metals, and to see if organochlorine and organophosphate chemicals used by humans are present in sea turtle blood.   Blood, tissue, and scute (shell) material also will be analyzed for toxic residues, especially methyl mercury, and possibly MTBE (methyl-t-butyl ether), a widely used fuel additive. MTBE has been found to contaminate drinking water, can affect the nervous system and act as a carcinogen.

"By bringing together this group of partners (Cornell University, Wildlife Trust and the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation) we maximize our assessment potential," says Rob DiGiovanni. "The pound net program provides valuable baseline data on health assessment of sea turtles in New York waters. Coupling this study with stranded animals gives a unique comparative data set."