STSSN Stranding Report Form

OMB #0648-0496 Exp Date: XX/XX/20XX

SEA TURTLE STRANDING AND SALVAGE NETWORK — STRANDING REPORT
OBSERVER'S NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION:

STRANDING DATE:

First
Email
Affiliation
Phone number (

Year 20
Month
Turtle number by day

M.I.

Last

Use two digits for date fields.

Day

Use three digits.
State coordinators must be notified within 24 hrs; this was done by:
□ phone
□ email
□ report entered online (seaturtlestranding.com)

)

STRANDING LOCATION:
State
Latitude
Location description

SPECIES: (check one)
County
Longitude

□ Loggerhead (CC)
□ Green turtle (CM)
□ Leatherback (DC)
□ Hawksbill (EI)

□ Kemp’s ridley (LK)
□ Olive ridley (LO)
□ Unidentified

Check unidentified if not positive. Do not guess.

CIRCUMSTANCES OF ENCOUNTER: (check one)

PHOTOS: (submit photos to state coordinator)

Traditional Stranding
□ Found washed ashore or washing ashore
□ Found floating/struggling at water surface
□ Found underwater
□ Trapped in jetty rocks
Incidental Capture
□ Caught by recreational fisherman
□ Found in the intake canal of power plant
□ Found in dredge equipment
□ Entangled in line of pot/trap buoy
□ Caught in commercial hook/line fishery
□ Caught in commercial net fishery
□ Captured during relocation efforts
□ Captured during research efforts
□ Other

□ YES (indicate below the completeness of photo series) □ NO
□ Dorsal aspect visible □ Ventral aspect visible

Nesting Related
□ Caught under boardwalk/dune crossover
□ Caught in moveable beach structure
□ Hit by a car
□ Wandered landward of dune (not hit by car)
□ Trapped in man-made rock formation
□ Trapped in a natural rock formation
□ Fell off of/overturned by seawall
□ Trapped by collapsed dune/scarp
□ Post-hatchling Washback
□ Cold-stunning

Nuchal TAGS:
Contact state coordinator before disposing of a tagged turtle!
NOTCH

Posterior
Marginal TIP

Posterior
NOTCH

Flipper tags found? □ YES □ NO
Check all 4 flippers. If found, record tag number & location.
1.
2.
3.
PIT tag scan performed? □ YES □ NO
Check all 4 flippers. If found, record tag id & location.
1.
2.
Possible tag scars? □ YES □ NO
Check all locations of possible tag scars:
□ Front left □ Front right □ Rear left □ Rear right
Living tag found? □ YES □ NO
If found, photograph & record scute number & side.
Tracking gear found? □ YES □ NO If present, describe.
Do not dispose of turtle or remove gear; consult STSSN coordinator.

A complete photo series includes photographs of the dorsal and
ventral aspects of the turtle, and all injuries or anomalies.

CONDITION: (check one)
□ Alive
□ Mildly decomposed
□ Moderately decomposed
□ Severely decomposed
□ Dried carcass
□ Skeletal

EXAMINATION DETAILS:
Type of examination: (check one)
□ In-person exam by STSSN participant
□ Evaluated from photographs submitted by the public
Completeness of body: (check all that apply)
□ Complete
□ Missing head
□ Missing all or most (>50%) of one or more flippers
□ Missing 50% or more of the shell (body)
□ Not determined
Mouth checked? □ YES □ NO □ UNKNOWN

WEIGHT: (do not estimate weight)

Choose unit
□ kg □ lb

Measured weight:

TAIL MEASUREMENT:
Did the tail extend past the carapace?
At least 5cm/2in (LK or LO), 10cm/4in (CC, CM, EI),
or 15cm/6in (DC)
Choose unit
□ cm □ in
□ YES, directly measured:
□ NO □ NOT DETERMINED

FATE OR FINAL DISPOSITION:
If the stranded turtle was alive, choose one of the following:

CARAPACE MEASUREMENTS:

Revised: 30‐Sep‐21

Measurements were: □ Actual □ Estimated
Using calipers
Choose unit
Straight length (notch-tip)
□ cm □ in
□ cm □ in
Minimum length (notch-notch)
Straight width (widest point)
□ cm □ in
Choose unit
Using non-metal measuring tape
Curved length (notch-tip)
□ cm □ in
□ cm □ in
Minimum length (notch-notch)
□ cm □ in
Curved width (widest point)

Alive: □ immediately released or □ unable to recover
□ Alive, taken to rehabilitation facility; where?
□ Died before reaching rehabilitation facility
If the turtle was found dead or died, choose one of the following:

□ Dead and left where found; marked? □ YES □ NO
If marked, describe:
□ Dead; buried, rendered, or otherwise disposed of
□ Dead and salvaged; location of salvaged remains?
Salvaged for necropsy?

□ YES

□ NO

ANTHROPOGENIC MATERIAL
Was there any man-made material found on the turtle (e.g., fishing gear, tar, or oil)? □ YES □ NO
If yes, were photos taken? □ YES □ NO
If man-made material was present, please answer the following questions. (check all that apply)
Were any fishing hooks present on the turtle? □ YES □ NO
Where were the hooks located? □ Mouth □ Head □ Neck □ Carapace
If yes, was the gear collected? □ YES □ NO
□ Plastron □ Front flipper □ Rear flipper □ Tail
Where was the line located? □ Mouth □ Head □ Neck □ Carapace
Was line <0.5 cm dia. present on the turtle (fishing line)? □ YES □ NO
If yes, was the gear collected? □ YES □ NO
□ Plastron □ Front flipper □ Rear flipper □ Tail □ Cloaca
Was the turtle entangled in line ≥0.5 cm dia. (nautical rope)? □ YES □ NO Where was the line located? □ Head □ Neck □ Carapace
If yes, was the gear collected? □ YES □ NO
□ Plastron □ Front flipper □ Rear flipper □ Tail
Was the turtle entangled in fishing net? □ YES □ NO
Where was the net located? □ Head □ Neck □ Carapace □ Plastron
If yes, was the gear collected? □ YES □ NO
□ Front flipper □ Rear flipper □ Tail
Was there any tar or oil present? □ YES □ NO
Where was the tar or oil located? □ Mouth □ Head □ Neck □ Carapace
If yes, were any samples collected? □ YES □ NO
□ Plastron □ Front flipper □ Rear flipper □ Tail
Was there any other man-made material present? □ YES □ NO
Where was the material located? □ Mouth □ Head □ Neck □ Carapace
Please describe the material:
□ Plastron □ Front flipper □ Rear flipper □ Tail

INJURIES
Were any injuries externally evident? □ YES □ NO
If yes, were photos taken? □ YES □ NO
If injuries were evident, please answer the following questions. (check all that apply)
Were there any definitive vessel-strike injuries evident? □ YES □ NO
Where were these injuries located? □ Head □ Neck □ Carapace
□ Plastron □ Front flipper □ Rear flipper □ Tail
Were there any blunt force injuries evident? □ YES □ NO
Where were these injuries located? □ Head □ Carapace □ Plastron
Were there any shark-bite injuries evident? □ YES □ NO
Where were these injuries located? □ Head □ Neck □ Carapace
□ Plastron □ Front flipper □ Rear flipper □ Tail
Were there any amputations of unknown cause evident? □ YES □ NO
Where were these amputations located? □ Front left flipper
How many amputations were present?
□ Front right flipper □ Rear left flipper □ Rear right flipper
Was there an incised wound evident? □ YES □ NO
Where was the wound located? □ Head □ Neck □ Carapace
(e.g., clean cuts, as created by knife; typically longer than wide)
□ Plastron □ Front flipper □ Rear flipper □ Tail
Was there a perforating or penetrating wound evident? □ YES □ NO
Where was the wound located? □ Head □ Neck □ Carapace
(a wound that is typically deeper than wide)
□ Plastron □ Front flipper □ Rear flipper □ Tail
Was there a wound indicative of entanglement or ingestion □ YES □ NO
Where was the wounds located? □ Head □ Neck □ Carapace
of anthropogenic material without this material being present?
□ Plastron □ Front flipper □ Rear flipper □ Tail
Was there a furrow on the edge of the beak? □ YES □ NO
Was there some other type of injury evident (not already described)? □ YES □ NO
Please describe:

DISEASES AND LEECHES
Were any diseases or leeches externally evident? □ YES □ NO
If yes, were photos taken? □ YES □ NO
If diseases or leeches were evident, please answer the following questions. (check all that apply)
Were there any fibropapilloma-like tumors present? □ YES □ NO
If yes, were photos taken? □ YES □ NO
Were eye tumors present? □ YES □ NO
Were mouth tumors present? □ YES □ NO
Did any of the tumors have a papillary texture? □ YES □ NO
Were there any non-fibropapilloma-like tumors present? □ YES □ NO
If yes, were photos taken? □ YES □ NO
Please describe:
If yes, were photos taken? □ YES □ NO
Were there any external skin lesions evident? □ YES □ NO
Which of the following best describes the lesions? □ Superficial crusts on the skin surface □ Deep lesions exposing underlying tissue
□ Both superficial crusts and deep lesions were present □ Neither
Which best describes the extent of superficial crusts? □ Found only in single area or in a few small, isolated areas □ Found over large areas
Where were the superficial crusts found? □ Head □ Neck □ Carapace □ Plastron □ Front flipper □ Rear flipper □ Tail
Which best describes the extent of the deep lesions exposing underlying tissues?
□ Found only in single area or in a few small, isolated areas □ Found over large areas
Where were the deep lesions found? □ Head □ Neck □ Carapace □ Plastron □ Front flipper □ Rear flipper □ Tail
Were there any leeches or leech eggs evident? □ YES, small isolated egg patches or few adults
If yes, were photos taken? □ YES □ NO
□ YES, large egg patches or many adults □ NO

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

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 15 minutes 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 the NOAA National
Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, Attn: Stacy Hargrove (stacy.hargrove@noaa.gov).