After releasing 6,000 endangered spiny softshell turtles back into the Thames River last year, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) says a troubling 2018 means they will only release about half as many this year.
“Each year, you want to have more and more hatchlings than the previous, but this year, we’ve had half as many,” said a species-at-risk biologist at UTRCA, Scott Gillingwater.
“We believe this potentially has to do with the cold April and May we had, as well as severe flooding and possibly climate change,” he said.
Gillingwater says the Spiny Softshell Turtle is endangered both provincially and federally, with only a small number of hatchling turtles reaching adulthood.
“We’re certainly over the hurdle of the Springbank dam interfering with the habitat,” said Gillingwater.
“However, we now have to figure out a way to help these turtles deal with other issues that impact these species, especially at such a critical stage like the egg stage.”
Since the UTRCA began protecting eggs in the 1990s, the local Spiny Softshell Turtle population has shown increases in the number of turtles of all age classes and their range along the Thames River.
“Any type of cleanup around the Thames River will certainly help these turtles, as well as any other species who live in that habitat,” said Gillingwater.
“However, if you do see these species in the area, we ask you not to let others know of their location because there is still an issue of illegal collection for pet food and potential medicine trade,” he said.
The UTRCA says you can donate to help the Spiny Softshell Recovery Project online.