Sea turtle remembered for research contribution

DIGBY, N.S. — A distinguished sea turtle whose global travels deepened scientists’ understanding of leatherback biology has died, federal fisheries officials said.

Red Rockette was first tagged off Nova Scotia in 2012, and since then, her travels to and from a Colombia beach have offered scientists in both countries a previously unseen look into her species’ movements and nesting patterns — a hefty scientific contribution that few individual animals can claim.

Researchers were “saddened to confirm” on Tuesday that an adult female sea turtle found near Digby, N.S., in August was, in fact, Red Rockette, though the cause of death remains undetermined.

She was believed to be “a couple of decades old,” with a shell length of about 1.5 metres.

In 2013, the Canadian research team watching Red Rockette’s movements contacted a group of Colombian researchers, who encountered the turtle when she came ashore to nest on Bobalito beach in 2013.

The data recovered from her satellite tag shed new light on the turtle’s diving patterns and habitat use.

Against the odds, she was discovered again by scientists in Canadian waters off Cape Breton Island in 2014 — then again on Bobalito beach in 2016.

Mike James, a federal sea turtle biologist, said that while the end of Red Rockette’s “remarkable” story is a sad one, her frequent sightings made her a fan favourite with scientists and the public alike, in a field where many tagged animals are never seen again.

“She was kind of a star,” James recalled fondly.

“It was just crazy to pull a turtle out of the ocean two years just randomly here … and for this to be one that we’d had this whole story with.”

James said stories such as Red Rockette’s are especially resonant with the public. People were able to follow her travels through blog posts by the Canadian Sea Turtle Network.

Most Canadians aren’t aware that the endangered animals spend a significant amount of time feeding on jellyfish in Canadian waters, a perception the online tracking of iconic individuals like Red Rockette is starting to change.

Kathleen Martin of the Canadian Sea Turtle Network said her heart sank when she learned the identity of the turtle found on a secluded Nova Scotia beach this summer.

James said a common cause of death for leatherbacks in Canadian waters is entanglement in fishing gear, and sometimes, being struck by vessels. Red Rockette herself had a hook in her shoulder when James’s team encountered her in 2014.

Whatever the cause of Rockette’s death, Martin said it was “extraordinary” that her body was found.

“The Atlantic ocean is so big that this chance is incredibly rare, so it was a really hard one,” Martin said.

“It’s hard not to feel like there’s something else we’re supposed to learn.”