NE Aquarium Veterinarian Helping Rare Sea Turtles In Gulf

The chief veterinarian for the New England Aquarium is in New Orleans to help with the treatment of rare sea turtles rescued from the oil spill in the gulf.

Dr. Charles Innis said the Gulf of Mexico is the most important habitat for the endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtle.

"Their numbers are probably somewhere in the 10,000-20,000 range, and so if any significant number of Kemp's Ridley are affected by this, it could have a significant impact, long-term, on their population," Innis said.

Many of these turtles frequent the areas south of Cape Cod during the summer to feed on crabs.

Since the early 1990s, the New England Aquarium has cared for more than 700 Kemp's turtles.