Stranding Response Program

The warmer months of the year are the time of year when sea turtles are frequently found hooked on fishing lines by anglers in Virginia. To support Stranding Response during hooked sea turtle season, four local piers - Buckroe Fishing Pier, Little Island Fishing Pier, Ocean View Fishing Pier, and Virginia Beach Fishing Pier - have joined our Pier Partner Program. Each pier has signage, recovery gear, and pier staff who are willing to assist when a hooked sea turtle is reported. When a turtle is hooked, anglers or pier staff call the Stranding Response Team, who dispatch team members to aid the turtle and bring it back to our rehabilitation center for treatment, whenever possible.

If you hook a sea turtle on a fishing line anywhere in Virginia, do not remove the hook and do not cut the line to release it. You will not face legal consequences for simply hooking a turtle, and following these instructions can help provide a better outcome for the animal.

1. If fishing from a pier, inform pier staff so they can help retrieve the turtle. If pier staff are not available, use a net to pull it up onto the pier, or walk it to shore. Do not attempt to pull it up to the pier by the fishing line.
2. Once the turtle is on the pier or the shore, call Stranding Response at (757) 385-7575 to report it and provide any information they need.
3. Do not remove the hook. Our experienced team will remove the hook safely once the turtle is in their care.
   
4. Once the turtle is secured on land and Stranding Response is on their way, cut the line two feet from the hook and cover the turtle with a towel to protect it from the sun.

Our local fishing community and Pier Partners do a great job notifying us of hooked sea turtles and we appreciate your assistance!

Conversely, the colder months of the year are considered "cold stun season" for sea turtle strandings. Sea turtles are ectothermic, meaning they cannot produce their own body heat and rely on their environment for the warmth their bodies need to function. Although they will migrate south when winter approaches, water temperatures can drop suddenly in our area, leaving turtles stunned and too incapacitated to survive long without aid.

If you encounter a cold-stunned sea turtle, call Stranding Response at (757) 385-7575 to report it. If it is in the water, maintain a 50 yard distance but provide Stranding with any information you can regarding its location and status. If it is out of the water, do not attempt to warm it, as warming a cold-stunned turtle too quickly can be harmful or even fatal.