Rescuing a Sea Turtle Named Ed by Ed Stoddard

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (Reuters) — I had come to this sandy island on the southeast coast of Texas to do environment stories, including one on efforts led by a largely volunteer organization to protect sea turtles. The group, Sea Turtles Inc., focuses on protecting the nests and hatchlings of the endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle but also rescues other stranded or injured turtles.

Sea Turtles’ president, Shane Wilson, shares my passion for salt water fly fishing so we went to the pier on the south side of the island just after dawn to try our luck.

We saw a small Atlantic green turtle in obvious distress.

"This is not good," Wilson said as we watched the animal struggle to get its head above water to breathe. It seemed to be almost stationary, apparently caught on something.

We tried to use my fly rod to hook the fishing line entangling the creature and pull it in, but that didn't work. Wilson swam the 5 yards to the animal, grabbed the fishing line it was caught on and hauled it in.

The incident drove home how the careless use of fishing line—this would have been discarded by anglers using a rod and reel—can inflict serious damage on wildlife. On a far larger scale turtle populations around the world are getting hammered by commercial long-line and netting operations, which often discard their carcasses as "by-catch."

They Named Him Ed

Our rescued turtle had some scars from its ordeal and we took it to Sea Turtles’ facility. I held the animal out in front of me as it dog paddled in the air, as Wilson drove. The center's curator, Jeff George, weighed the animal—8-1/2 lbs (four kg)—and gave it some mild antibiotic. Flatteringly, the center's staff named the little turtle Ed.

Some 20 sea turtles of various species, ages and sizes were being cared for at the center. Some had lost more than one flipper to predators or fishermen, meaning they could not be released into the wild.

The center's main focus is preserving turtle eggs during the laying season for the Kemp's ridley from April to July, when volunteers scour the beach in search of nests. When a turtle's tracks are seen in the sand, the nest is located and the eggs are delicately removed to a holding pen for incubation. When they hatch the little ones are shepherded into the sea to protect them from birds and other predators.

The Kemp's ridley, which nests only on the coast of southeast Texas and east Mexico, was on the verge of extinction a couple of decades ago with only about 300 females left. There are now about 11,000 which make some 15,000 nests a year—the animals make multiple nests in alternating years—making them a rare marine conservation success story.

Which sentence best summarizes the effect Sea Turtles Inc. has had on the Kemp's ridley sea turtles?
A. "There are now about 11,000 which make some 15,000 nests a year—the animals make multiple nests in alternating years—making them a rare marine conservation success story."
B."Sea Turtles' president, Shane Wilson, shares my passion for salt water fly fishing so we went to the pier on the south side of the island just after dawn to try our luck."
C."On a far larger scale turtle populations around the world are getting hammered by commercial long-line and netting operations, which often discard their carcasses as 'by-catch.' "
D."The center's main focus is preserving turtle eggs during the laying season for the Kemp's ridley from April to July, when volunteers scour the beach in search of nests."