Fatal entanglements of sea turtles caused by widely deployed weather instruments

Abstract

Sea turtles have been found to interact with discarded fishing gear, plastic bags, and balloons, among other anthropogenic materials. One infrequently documented interaction is entanglement in scientific research instruments, which presents a unique management and mitigation challenge. This paper highlights two Kemp's ridley sea turtles that stranded ~10 years apart, deceased and entangled in weather balloons in Virginia, USA. The turtles were recovered 11 and 20 days after the balloons were launched from two different facilities along the Virginia coast in 2009 and 2019, respectively. Based on external evaluation and necropsy findings, both animals were assigned a probable cause of death of debris entanglement. This paper seeks to inform other stranding response organizations, as well as stakeholders like manufacturers and users of weather balloons, of the threats these instruments can pose to marine life. With strengthened education, collaboration, and changes in instrument design, future entanglements may be mitigated.