By Nicole Hamilton
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Newport Aquarium is one of several aquariums nationwide pitching in to rehabilitate dozens of rare sea turtles that have been stunned by cold seas off Cape Cod.

Timothy J. Mullican, executive director and chief veterinarian for the Newport Aquarium, points out a scar on the nose of a Kemp's ridley sea turtle. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

Four Kemp's ridley sea turtles - the smallest and most endangered of the world's seven sea turtle species - arrived Friday at Lunken Airport in a private, single-engine plane flown by a volunteer for the New England Aquarium.

The turtles were among 78 found along the shores of Cape Cod in November and December by volunteers for the Boston-based aquarium, where they underwent triage. The four are now recovering at the Newport Aquarium's holding facility, a separate building in Newport several blocks from the main aquarium along the Ohio River

"This is the first time we've rehabbed animals for release and hopefully we'll do more of this in the future, as part of our mission to the community," said Timothy Mullican, executive director and chief veterinarian for the aquarium. "We're a fairly young institution, but taking part of conservation efforts is something we want to do more of."

ABOUT KEMP'S RIDLEYS

• Species: Lepidochelys kempii • Status: Rarest and most endangered of all sea turtles. Listed as endangered in 1970. • Life span: 30-50 years • Average weight: 85-100 pounds • Average length: 24-30 inches • Breeding habits: Females lay eggs in mass nestings - called arribazones - between April and June, and only nest in daylight. The nests are found only on a 20-mile stretch of beach at Rancho Nuevo, Mexico. Less than 1,000 nests are laid each season. Male turtles never leave the water. • Diet: Blue crabs, clams, mussels, fish and jellyfish • Survival threats: Pollution, changing habitat and shrimp farming •   Source: National Marine Fisheries Service

The four young turtles - all weighing about 7 pounds - are gaining their strength by swimming in a 10,000-gallon pool in the aquarium's holding facility. Adult Kemp's ridleys weigh 80-110 pounds.

Until now, Newport Aquarium's holding facility has been used predominately as a quarantine and storage site.

In April, the public will get a chance to see the Kemp's ridleys as a part of the Newport Aquarium's exhibit on turtles.

When the exhibit ends in late summer, Dr. Mullican will confer with the National Marine Fishery Service, who will give him the location where he can re-release the highly regulated turtles.

Dr. Mullican believes they will be released in the Gulf of Mexico close to a small strip of beach in Rancho Nuevo, Mexico - the only major breeding site for Kemp's ridleys.

Kemp's ridley turtles migrate yearly between Cape Cod and the Gulf of Mexico. In November and December, they begin migrating to the warmer southern waters.

Some, especially the younger turtles, become "cold stunned" when Atlantic Ocean temperatures plummet. Being cold-blooded, the turtles' body temperature also drops. Immobile in the cold waters, they can be washed ashore by tides and currents, where they become dehydrated and too weak to swim back to sea.

Unless they are rescued, they risk becoming food for predators.

During most cold-stunning seasons, the New England Aquarium treats about a dozen or so animals. But this winter left 78 Kemp's ridley sea turtles stranded. It's among the four worst such seasons the staff at New England Aquarium has seen since 1968.

There were so many turtles this year that the New England Aquarium enlisted the help of aquariums nationwide. Dr. Mullican said the Newport Aquarium was glad to help - and may rehab more turtles if needed.

"It's sort of like they're out of the emergency room," he said, looking over at the four turtles swimming swiftly around the pool. "Now they're really recovering."

E-mail nhamilton@enquirer.com