Va. Aquarium turtle expert heads to Gulf

Virginia Beach

Mark Swingle gets asked one question a lot these days: What are you doing to help with the BP oil spill?

Swingle, the head of research and conservation at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, now has an answer.

The aquarium is sending one of its stranding response team experts to New Orleans to help care for sea turtles.

"We've all been sitting around waiting for the call," Swingle said. "We're excited to be able to respond."

Christina Trapani, the stranding team's assistant coordinator, is flying to the Gulf Coast today and will stay for 10 days. She has helped with sea turtle rescues and rehabilitations off Virginia's coast.

Trapani will help clean oil off the plate-size turtles brought in by boat every night and care for them as they recover at an aquatic center on the outskirts of New Orleans.

In Virginia Beach, Trapani mostly deals with turtles that have suffered boat strikes or have been tangled in fishing lines, but she said she expects the basic care requirements to be the same.

"It's really hard to watch," Trapani said of the BP oil disaster. "I'm looking forward to putting my skills to good use."

The Audubon Nature Institute, which runs the aquarium in Louisiana, has been tending to stranded sea turtles and marine mammals. About 100 Kemp's ridley turtles, which are endangered, have been rescued, said Sarah Burnette, a spokeswoman for the institute.

None of the turtles has been released because there's nowhere for them to go that's safe from the oil, Burnette said.

Veterinarians from other aquariums have been called in to help, Burnette said.

Swingle said he expects the Virginia Aquarium to eventually have a contract with the Audubon Institute to help with rehabilitation work.

"This is an ongoing thing," he said.

Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com