Trawling for Turtles
System to clear creatures from harm's way is working.
Pictures:
The trawler Captain Tuck sets its nets and drags the ocean floor, searching for sea turtles to remove from the dredging site near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Virginia Beach's $20 million sand replenishment project hinges on the sea turtles safety. A Kemps ridley sea turtle, one of the most endangered in the world, ws scooped aboard the Trawler Captain Tuck on Wednesday morning. Concerns about the sea turtle deaths brought about  the operation to search for them ar dredging sites.

And the huge sand replenishment project at the Ocean front might have become as threatened as the animal. The $20 million project, vastly widening the city's beaches, has scooped sand from the shipping lane at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The program halted briefly last month (Sept. 2001) when a fourth loggerhead turtle was killed by the massive arms of the dredge.  Something has to be done, and the idea of using a trawler to clear out any of the animals from in front of the dredge seemed the most promising.

It seems to be working. Since Sept. 6th, 2001, when the operation resumed, 11 sea turtles, including Wednesday's have been swept out of harm's way, and none have been injured. The animals are measured, tagged and taken about four miles out to sea.  This is the height of sea turtle migration, when the animals leave the bay and head south for the winter.  Another few weeks and their numbers are expected to drop to zero.  For its part, the Captain Tuck, owned by Old Point Packing Co. of Newport News, was doing what it's never done before.

The 92 foot trawler, normally geared to avoid sea turtles was seeking them.  "I've caught  turtles out there before, but never came out to target em," said Greg Price Jr., the boats captain as he watched the monitors in the boats cabin.  "This ain't no different from what I'd ordinarily do.  I'm just catching something different."  In a small sea turtle, about the size of a serving tray, was having a different morning than probably any in its young life.

In a small pen near the stern of the boat, it waited until a crew boat from Weeks Marine, the dredging company, could arrive from Rudee Inlet and take it out to sea.  Coal ships lolled at anchor just off the channel.  A Coast Guard cutter steamed by under a bright harvest moon.  As the deep red sun appeared to rise o out of the sea, the Captain Tuck made one last pass over the dredge site. Its wide arms dragged the large mesh nets over a 60 foot  swath on the bottom.

Thirty minutes later up came the nets.  This time, dozens of horseshoe crabs, several sting rays, a striped burfish, puffed up with water like a balloon, and a two foot long sandbar shark spilled onto the deck, but no more turtles.  The crew immediately tossed the wriggling creatures back into the sea.  Despite elaborate precautions taken by the city, Weeks Marine and the Army Corps of Engineers, four sea turtles have died as a result of the operation that is transferring more than 3 million cubic yards of sand from the channel to the beach.

Officials agreed to try using the trawler on the advice of REMSA Inc., a Newport News company that provides endangered species observers to projects like this.  The Captain Tuck, a 92 foot ocean going vessel, got the nod, along with a Georgia company that also helped out.  The Kemp's ridley was a long way from home.  They're born on the Texas Gulf coast and eventually migrate to feeding grounds along the Atlantic. The mouth of the Chesapeake is a favorite food source.  Because they're a threatened species, federal rules trigger elaborate precautions during dredging operations.

Observatories stay on the dredge, comb the beach for turtle eggs and, now, ride the trawlers.  Trish Barge and Will Parks, REMSA's observers, took the creatures measurements, about 20 by 17 inches on its shell, and checked it over for injuries, then tagged it in case it should be found later.  The animals dark eyes blinked and its flippers worked as it endured the examination.  "This whole project has been a tremendous success," Bargo said as she waited for the crew boat. "The Corps and the dredging company are doing everything they can to not get another single turtle."