Sea Turtles and Oil, A Synopsis of the Available Literature

Research Planning, Inc.

The recent Arabian Gulf oil spill raised an issue that is frequently encountered when an oil spill occurs in a tropical or temperate climate. What are the direct and indirect effects of oil on sea turtles? Although there have been many oil spills in areas populated by turtles, it is still unclear how oil physiologically affects turtles in open water. Because the range of adult turtles is wide, it is unusual to have large numbers of turtles directly impacted by an oil spill. Even in the Arabian Gulf spill, only three oiled turtles were recovered. Spill-related turtle impacts are mostly anecdotal and poorly documented as to cause of death. The purpose of this report is to summarize the studies that have discussed oil and sea turtles. Some of these reports are only observations of oiled or dead turtles as a result of an oil spill. Other studies have directly examined the physiological and behavioral effect of oil on various sea turtle life stages. Finally, research has been performed on the impact of pelagic tar on turtles. Pelagic tar primarily comes from the discharge of tanker ballast water, although weathered oil from spills does make up a small portion of the tar. Pelagic tar is outside the realm of emergency response, but it is still important because of .its potential for chronic impacts to turtles.