Sea Turtle
Beach Patrol
Since 1997, the Canadian Sea Turtle Network has worked with coastal community members to increase public awareness of marine turtle conservation issues and to study the biology of marine turtles in the Northwest Atlantic. We have been successful in contributing new information that is crucial to the conservation of these species, particularly the leatherback sea turtle.
However, we still know very little about how frequently smaller, “hard-shelled” types of sea turtles enter our coastal waters. These other species of sea turtles typically prefer warmer waters than those around coastal Nova Scotia, but on rare occasions we find cold-stunned green turtles, Atlantic Ridley turtles, and loggerhead sea turtles stranded on our beaches in the fall.
As part of our efforts to research all of these endangered species, the Canadian Sea Turtle Network launched the Sea Turtle Beach Patrol in 2016. The Sea Turtle Beach Patrol project aims to put dedicated effort into searching for sea turtles that wash up on our beaches, in the hope of better understanding the frequency and distribution of these animals in our waters.
How you can help
We accept volunteers from coastal communities around the Canadian Maritimes to monitor their local coastline for stranded animals from October through January. Over the years, the Beach Patrol program has expanded to include the following activities:
Patrolling: As in previous years, we are looking for volunteers to choose a beach or segment of coastline they can access regularly to walk at least once a week to search for stranded turtles.
Driving: The best chance a turtle has for survival is to be collected and treated as quickly as possible. We are looking for people throughout the Maritimes to pick up and drive stranded turtles (dead or alive) to Halifax, the Annapolis Valley, or Charlottetown for assessment and/or veterinary care.
Postering: Posters are a great resource for public education and engagement. There are some areas of the Maritimes where our team hasn’t yet been able to put up posters about the beach patrol program. Our team will reach out to volunteers who live in these areas to see if they’re interested in postering to spread the word.
Volunteer Registration is closed
Registration is now closed for this season, but if you’d like to join the Beach Patrol in 2026-2027, please complete the interest form below. We’ll be in touch when registration opens again!
Information for Current Volunteers:
Once patrolling has started, enter your weekly data via our online data form HERE or download and print a hard copy HERE to complete
We ask that data sheets are completed every time you finish a patrol (approximately 1x/week)
Hard copy data sheets should be scanned/photographed and sent to beachpatrol@seaturtle.ca at the end of the season
If you find a stranded turtle, CALL US IMMEDIATELY and then complete an incident report HERE