Turtles are dying in the St. Johns River System

[Ira Runyan]

FWC says its found 300 sick or dead Florida softshell and cooter turtles along the river watershed, from the Palm Bay area up to Orange and Seminole counties and into Putnam County. The majority of the cases found have been in softshell turtles.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission needs the public's help to investigate this massive die-off. If you see any dead or dying freshwater turtles, you are asked to call FWC's Fish Kill Hotline at 1-800-636-0511, submit a report online on the FWC website, or download the FWC Reporter app and send it through there. FWC says you can include a picture of the turtle through the app.

If you see a dead or dying turtle, FWC says you should not touch it or attempt to move it, and don't try to capture or transport it either.

[Ira Runyan]

FWC has been investigating this turtle kill since March of 2018. So far, 18 turtles collected by the FWC from the St. Johns River watershed suggest a viral infection contributed to the turtle deaths.

Virologists discovered a new or never before seen virus that appears to be linked with three species of diseased Florida turtles: the softshell, peninsula cooters, and Florida red-bellied cooters. The stomach contents of the turtles were found to be empty as they stop eating after becoming sick. There were no toxins of any type found in the in the tissue samples ruling out algae blooms causing the deaths of the turtles.

As part of the ongoing investigation, FWC is asking the public for help by taking the following actions:

1. Report sightings of sick or dead turtles to the FWC by calling: 352-339-8597 or through the FWC Reporter App. Photos can be uploaded via the Reporter App and will aid researchers in turtle species identification and condition.
2. Do not touch or attempt to move sick turtles.
3. To avoid spreading the virus, do not capture, transport or release freshwater turtles, even those that appear healthy, to new locations.
4. Do not eat turtles that appear sick or unhealthy.