Global warming fills New England's rich waters with death traps for endangered sea turtles

QUINCY, Mass. (AP) — As global warming fills the plankton-rich waters of New England with death traps for sea turtles, the number of stranded reptiles has multiplied over the last 20 years, filling one specialized animal hospital with the endangered creatures.

The animals enter areas such as Cape Cod Bay when it is warm, and when temperatures inevitably drop, they can’t escape the hooked peninsula to head south, said Adam Kennedy, the director of rescue and rehabilitation at the New England Aquarium, which runs a turtle hospital in Quincy, Massachusetts.

More than 200 cold-stunned young turtles were being treated there Tuesday, Kennedy said.

“Climate change certainly is allowing those numbers of turtles to get in where normally the numbers weren’t very high years ago,” he said.

Cold-stunned sea turtles, sometimes near death, wash up on Cape Cod every fall and winter. The aquarium expects the number of turtles it rescues to climb to at least 400, Kennedy said. In 2010, the average was 40, he said.

High wind speeds and falling temperatures have fueled recent strandings, he said.

The total five-year average of cold-stunned sea turtles in Massachusetts was around 200 in the early 2010s, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data, growing to more than 700 in recent years.

All the turtles at New England Aquarium's hospital are juveniles, mostly critically endangered Kemp’s ridley turtles whose migratory patterns lead to strandings here. They were being treated for maladies ranging from pneumonia to sepsis.

The Kemp's — the world's smallest sea turtle — lives largely in the Gulf of Mexico and ventures into the Atlantic Ocean when juvenile. Some recent science, including a 2019 study in the journal PLoS One, says the warming of the ocean increases the chance of cold-stunning events once the turtles reach the Northwest Atlantic. Warmer seas may push the turtles north in a way that makes stranding more likely, the study said.

Upon arrival, the turtles are often critically ill.

“The majority of the turtles arrive with serious ailments such as pneumonia, dehydration, traumatic injuries, or sepsis,” said Melissa Joblon, director of animal health at the aquarium.

The turtle hospital rehabilitates the animals so they can be safely returned to the wild, sometimes locally and sometimes in warmer southern waters, Kennedy said. Around 80% survive.

Some of the turtles that arrive at the hospital are green turtles or loggerheads, which are not as endangered as the Kemp's ridley, but still face numerous threats.

Whittle reported from Portland, Maine.

Intern Leighton Graham holds a Kemp's ridley sea turtle at a New England Aquarium marine animal rehabilitation facility in Quincy, Mass., Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

A Kemp's ridley sea turtle receives fluids from a syringe at a New England Aquarium marine animal rehabilitation facility in Quincy, Mass., Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Margot Madden, a biologist with the National Aquarium, uses a syringe to hydrate a Kemp's ridley sea turtle at a New England Aquarium marine animal rehabilitation facility in Quincy, Mass., Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

A Kemp's ridley sea turtle has a blood sample drawn at a New England Aquarium marine animal rehabilitation facility, in Quincy, Mass., Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

A Kemp's ridley sea turtle swims in a tank at a New England Aquarium marine animal rehabilitation facility in Quincy, Mass., Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Biologist Sammi Chaves, right, listens to the pulse of a Kemp's ridley sea turtle at a New England Aquarium marine animal rehabilitation facility in Quincy, Mass., Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Intern Leighton Graham, left, and biologist Sammi Chaves, right, examine a Kemp's ridley sea turtle at a New England Aquarium marine animal rehabilitation facility in Quincy, Mass., Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 4, 2024--

GEMS Education has announced the launch of First Schools Management, its new division dedicated to improving school management and performance across the globe, beyond the UAE. It was founded by Sunny Varkey, creator of the USD 1 million Global Teacher Prize, a great proponent of the power of teachers around the world, including in the UK.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241204524705/en/

Building on more than 65 years of educational expertise, this new initiative aims to offer high-quality management and school improvement services tailored to meet the specific needs of schools around the world.

The UK is a priority market for First Schools Management. The country’s learning management system market is expected to reach almost USD 4 billion by 2030, 1 at an annual growth rate of around 12%. 2

First Schools Management by GEMS Education, with offices in London and Dubai, will partner with schools worldwide to enhance operational efficiencies, raise standards of education, and support leadership in achieving sustainable success and growth.

First Schools Management is founded on the core values that have distinguished GEMS as a global leader in education. Mobilising multidisciplinary teams with deep expertise, First Schools Management tailors its services to schools’ needs and goals, covering every aspect of school management.

GEMS Education has already received numerous requests from schools to establish this service, underscoring the global demand for high-quality school management and improvement solutions.

Mr Sunny Varkey, Founder of GEMS Education and Varkey Foundation, whose entrepreneurial and philanthropic work has seen him named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, launch the USD 1 million Global Teacher Prize, and sign The Giving Pledge, said: “Our vision at GEMS has always been to make quality education accessible to every learner. Schools around the world face numerous challenges, but with the right management services tailored to their unique needs, they can focus on what truly matters – delivering exceptional education to their students. For over six decades, we’ve gained invaluable expertise, and through First Schools Management, we aim to share this knowledge to support schools across the globe.”

Building on GEMS’ global network of schools and expert educators, First Schools Management brings a wealth of knowledge and resources to every partnership. Client schools benefit from the insights GEMS has gained from operating in diverse international contexts, alongside locally relevant strategies that resonate with each school community.

The achievements within GEMS reflect a dedication to excellence and innovation in education. The group has consistently achieved outstanding academic results, with students excelling in international examinations, university placements, and national academic competitions. Highlights include:

The excellence achieved by GEMS is a testament to the extraordinary efforts of its staff, whose passion, innovation, and dedication drive the organisation’s success. The group’s professional development programmes are designed to empower staff with the latest technologies, resources, methodologies, and expertise, enabling them to deliver the highest standards of teaching and learning for all students.

Drawing on the global presence of GEMS and its blend of local knowledge and international best practices, First Schools Management is ideally placed to assist schools in their aspirations for growth, creating learning environments that meet the needs of communities and that provide world-class education that truly prepares students to succeed in a rapidly evolving world.

About GEMS Education

GEMS Education is one of the oldest and largest K-12 private education providers in the world and a trusted and highly regarded choice for quality education in the Middle East and North Africa region. As a company founded in the UAE in 1959, it holds an unparalleled track record of providing diverse curricula and educational choices to all socio-economic means.

Having started with a single school run from a private home in Dubai, GEMS remains a family business to this day. Its inspiring Founder, Sunny Varkey, and his son, Dino Varkey, who is Group Chief Executive Officer, are responsible for providing vision, insight, and strategy across the organisation.

Every day, GEMS has the privilege of educating students from over 176 countries through its owned and managed schools globally. And through its growing network, as well as charitable contributions, it is fulfilling the GEMS vision of putting a quality education within the reach of every learner.

Every year, students graduating from GEMS schools progress to the world’s best universities. Over the past five years, GEMS students have been accepted into over 1,050 universities in 53 countries including all eight Ivy League universities in the US and all 24 Russell Group universities and colleges in the UK.

For further information about GEMS Education, visit www.gemseducation.com

1https://www.grandviewresearch.com/horizon/outlook/learning-management-system-market/uk

2https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/uk-k-12-school-management-platform-market-application-rgive/

Mr Sunny Varkey, Founder of GEMS Education and Varkey Foundation (Photo: Business Wire)