THIS&That The West’s tropical turtle hotline
If you are paddling on the West Coast this summer, hold onto your plastic bags and keep your eyes peeled—you might just spot a sea turtle. “Leatherback sea turtles have been seen in B.C. waters for quite some time,” said Carla Sbrocchi, Conservation Outreach Programmer at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. But, she said, “it's only really become common knowledge in the last few years.”
Researchers at the aquarium and at Fisheries and Oceans Canada want to know more about the turtles and they are asking anyone who sees one or has seen one in the past in B.C. waters to call 1-866-I-SAW-ONE with details of size, location and date of the sighting.
Most of the sightings are from recreational boaters and fishermen and are concentrated between Ucluelet and Zeballos on Vancouver Island’s west coast and around the Queen Charlotte Islands. Sightings are usually near-shore but have been as far as two kilometres out to sea. While researchers don’t know much about the leatherback's habits in Canadian waters, they do know why they come.
“They exclusively eat jellyfish,” Sbrocchi said. “Because of our rich, rich waters we have the biggest jellyfish.” The turtles return to their tropical swim- ming grounds to breed and lay eggs. Leatherbacks are “super obvious” to spot, she said. They are two to 2.5 metres long (seven to eight feet) and one to 1.5 metres wide (four to five feet). Leatherback shells look like rubber with seven lines running down them. There are three other types of sea turtle in B.C. but they are smaller and less common. Despite the leatherback’s formida- ble size and armour-plated appearance, the turtle’s greatest enemy comes in a soft, small package.
“Plastic bags look like jellyfish and they can kill leatherbacks,” Sbrocchi said. “People have to be aware of how they dispense of their garbage.” Sbrocchi hopes everyone keeps their eyes open for the tropical visitors: “Every sighting is extremely helpful.” —Ryan Stuart
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10 Summer 2003
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