Sea Turtle Entanglement Report Form

SEA TURTLE ENTANGLEMENT REPORT FORM

FIELD #: ______________________________

OMB Control No. 0648-0496; Exp Date: XX/XX/XXXX

Shaded area for NOAA Fisheries Service (NMFS) use only

EVENT CONFIRMATION:

Confirmed

Probable

Not confirmed

INITIAL OBSERVATION: Observer name: ________________________________________________ Phone: __________________________________
Observer affiliation: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
am
pm
Observation date: _________________________ (mm / dd / yyyy) Time: _________________________
Alive
Fresh dead
Moderately decomposed
Severely decomposed
Dried carcass
Skeleton
Unknown
Turtle condition:
EXAMINATION / RESPONSE: Responder name: ___________________________________________ Phone: _________________________________
Responder affiliation: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
am
pm
Response date: _________________________ (mm / dd / yyyy) Time responder arrived on scene: _________________________
Alive
Fresh dead
Moderately decomposed
Severely decomposed
Dried carcass
Skeleton
Unknown
Turtle condition:
PHOTO DOCUMENTATION: Photos taken:
Yes
No Video taken:
Yes
No
Documentation of:
Turtle in gear
Injuries / entanglement site
Buoy colors, numbers and any other identifiable feature(s)
LOCATION: State: __________ County: ______________________ Nearest port / town: ___________________________________________________
Locality details: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Stranded ashore:
Latitude: _________________________________________ N
Longitude: _______________________________________ W

Yes

No

TURTLE DATA: Species or description: ___________________________________________________________________________________________
cm
cm

Straight carapace length:** ____________________
Curved carapace length:** ____________________

in
in

actual
actual

est.
est.

**Carapace length is measured from nuchal notch to posterior tip (see diagram in instructions)

Weight: ____________________

kg

lb

actual

est.

Sex:
Male
Female
Not examined
CBD
Does tail extend beyond carapace?
Yes
No
If Yes, how far? ____________
cm
in
actual
est.
Sex determined by:
Necropsy
Tail length (adults only)
N/A

GEAR TYPE: Indicate the primary (in contact with turtle) entangling gear with a “P” and secondary gear with an “S”. Fill out all applicable details.
____ Vertical Line with Surface Buoy
Yes
No If Yes, bottom gear:
Pot(s)
Net
Unknown
Other: ______________________________
Line attached to bottom gear:
cm
in
actual
est.
Length of line between turtle and surface buoy: ____________________
____ Line Only (no buoy)
Monofilament
Multifilament (e.g. nylon or poly rope)
Unknown
Type:
Yes
No If Yes, where attached to turtle:
Not attached
Mouth
Ingested (past mouth)
Soft tissue (not mouth)
Hook(s) present:
Line attached to bottom gear :
Yes
No If Yes, bottom gear:
Pot(s)
Net
Unknown
Other: _____________________________
____ Net
Monofilament
Multifilament (e.g. nylon)
Unknown
Type:
____ Fish Trap (pound net / weir)
Free-swimming in trap
Entangled in leader
Entangled in trap
Other (describe in Additional Remarks)
Location:
____ Other Describe: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
GEAR DETAILS:
Net
Estimated stretched mesh size: ____________________
cm
in ID number(s): ____________________
Pot(s) Number of pots: _____________ ID Number(s): ____________________ Pot description: _____________________________
Buoy(s) Number of buoys: __________
Buoy 1

Buoy 2

Buoy 3

Type
Color/Pattern
ID Number(s) / Letter(s)
Line(s)
Number of lines: __________
Biofouling present on gear:
Yes- all
Gear retrieved:

Color 1: ____________________

Color 2: ____________________

Color 3: ____________________

Yes
No If Yes, % of visible gear covered by biofouling: __________ % (describe type of biofouling in Additional Remarks)
Yes- partially
No
If Yes, disposition:
Initial observer
STDN member
State agency
NMFS Gear Team

DISENTANGLEMENT OUTCOME (LIVE animals): (Check one)
Disentangled & released
Partially disentangled & released. Gear left: ___________________
Collected for treatment at: ___________________

Entangled / no action taken
Entangled / not relocated
Lost during disentanglement

CARCASS / SAMPLE DISPOSITION (DEAD animals): (Check all that apply)
Left at site
Necropsied
Towed ashore
Scientific collection
Buried
Off beach
On beach
Educational collection

Relocated to: _________________________
Euthanized
Other: _______________________________
Biopsied
Other: ______________________________
Unknown

TAG / MARK DATA: Checked for flipper tags:
Yes
No Scanned for PIT tags:
Yes
No
Tag / mark type
Numbers
Location on animal
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________

Applied

Present

ENTANGLEMENT / WOUND DESCRIPTION: Use table below to describe the entanglement configuration and any wounds associated with the entanglement site. Check
all that apply. Note the specific location, # wraps, partial or complete circumference, tight vs. loose, if gear left at that location, etc.).

Body
area
involved

Movement
impaired

Head /
neck

Description:

Front
flippers

Description:

Carapace
/ plastron

Description:

Rear
flippers

Description:

Indentation

Skin abraded

Muscle
exposed

Bone
exposed

Swelling

Discoloration

Tissue necrotic/
sloughing

BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATIONS
Response to Approach and Handling: Check one.
Vigorous movement

Movement slow, sluggish, or weak

Response Upon Release: Check one from each row below.
Vigorous movement
Movement slow, sluggish, or weak
Dives and/or swims away within 1
minute

Unconscious / Unresponsive
Movements abnormal (e.g.
uncoordinated, circling, listing)

Could not evaluate
Could not evaluate

Remains at surface and/or does not
swim deliberately away within 1 minute

Describe Behavior:

EVENT SUMMARY AND ADDITIONAL REMARKS:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

DISCLAIMER
The collection of information on sea turtle entanglement is necessary to ensure sea turtles are being conserved and protected, as mandated by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. This collection
contributes invaluable data to management efforts. A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with
an information collection subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 unless the information collection has a currently valid OMB Control Number. The approved OMB Control Number for
this information collection is 0648-0496. Without this approval, we could not conduct this information collection. Public reporting for this information collection is estimated to be approximately one hour per
response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the information collection. All responses to this
information collection are voluntary. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this information collection, including suggestions for reducing this burden to NMFS, GARFO, Protected
Resources Division, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA, 01930.