Sea Turtles in the Gulf of Mexico Kemp’s Ridley (endangered) Leatherback (endangered) Hawksbill (endangered) Green (endangered) Loggerhead (threatened)

The Impact of Oil on Already Vulnerable Sea Turtle Populations Direct mortality due to oil in lungs Direct mortality due to oiled shells/bodies preventing normal feeding behaviors Indirect mortality due to compromised breathing ability decreasing likelihood of survival when caught in shrimp/fish trawling nets Indirect mortality due to decreased prey as a result of the oil spill

Sea Turtle Deaths Linked to Deepwater Horizon Even with only a minimal effort expended in search missions, NOAA has confirmed 594 dead sea turtles in the immediate area around the oil spill – and another 536 that were oiled and potentially injured (in addition to 6,104 dead birds and 97 dead mammals)

Making Matters Worse: In-situ Burns in Sea Turtle Habitat In-situ burn – an oil mitigation strategy where boats corral oil into a thick sludge on top of sargassum grass mats and burn the oil (and everything caught in the oil sludge)

Animal Welfare Inst. v. BP America, Inc., Civ. No (E.D. La.) June 25 – Story breaks on Capt. Mike Ellis’s claims of turtles burned alive June 29 – ESA/OCSLA Notice letter submitted to BP June 30 – Complaint and TRO motion filed against BP July 1 – Amended complaint and TRO motion filed against BP and the U.S. Coast Guard July 2 – Interim settlement agreement reached July 3-31 – Defendants satisfy obligations of interim agreement August 3 – Plaintiffs dismiss case after obtaining substantial victory (Defendants created mandatory turtle observer program, agreed to only hire qualified third-party turtle biologists as observers, made all observer data sheets available to the public, adopted official in-situ burn wildlife protocols, and solicited input from the independent scientific community)