Physiological effects of capturing Kemp's ridley sea turtles, Lepidochelyskempii, in entanglement nets

Blood samples were collected from 58 wild Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepido chelys kempii) to examine the physiological effects of capture in entanglem ent nets. Captured turtles were placed in holding tanks or in-water cages t o examine whether the postcapture holding protocol influenced the time cour se of recovery of blood homeostasis. Lactate concentrations at capture were 4.5 +/- 0.3 and 3.5 +/- 0.3 mmol/L (mean +/- SE) for L. kempii assigned to the in-water-cage and holding-tank treatments, respectively. Turtles held in holding tanks for 1 h exhibited a significant increase in lactate concen tration over capture levels, whereas lactate concentrations in the cage-hel d animals did not change. Lactate concentrations declined to less than 1.0 mmol/L by 6 and 10 h post capture for turtles in the in-water-cage and hold ing-tank treatments, respectively. Plasma norepinephrine (NE) and epinephri ne (E) concentrations at capture were substantially elevated above base-lin e levels reported in the literature for comparably sized loggerhead sea tur tles (Caretta caretta). Turtles in holding tanks exhibited greater reductio ns in NE and E at 1 h post capture than did their counterparts in the in-wa ter cages. Although plasma Na+ and Cl- concentrations were not affected by entanglement netting, K+ concentration was elevated in tank-held L. kempii at 1 h post capture. Taken together, these data indicate that entanglement netting causes significant physiological disturbance in sea turtles and tha t recovery of blood homeostasis is influenced by the postcapture holding pr otocol.