Stranded turtles are at risk: Support funding for sea turtle rescue >>

There are six species of sea turtles found in U.S waters—and they’re all listed as threatened or endangered. Despite this, rescue efforts for sea turtles who face entanglement, vessel strikes, and stranding across our coastlines are largely underfunded or run by volunteers making the most of scarce resources. This drastically limits our ability to protect these extraordinary species. And it’s a big problem: On Cape Cod alone, there were 667 cold-stunned and stranded sea turtles recovered by rescuers in 2025.

There’s some good news: the bipartisan Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act (S.843) was just passed in the Senate. This bill expands the existing Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue and Response Grant program, which helps support IFAW’s own stranding efforts, to include specific grants for sea turtle rescue. Among other provisions, these grants can be used for:

-The recovery and care of sick and/or injured sea turtles
-Responses to rescue stranded sea turtles
-Data collection for research and health assessments
-Stranding network capacity development

Now, the House needs to pass its companion bill (H.R.347) to ensure sea turtle rescue, recovery, and research is funded as soon as possible. Will you contact your Representative today and urge them to support this critical legislation?

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{contact_data~salutation},

As your constituent, I urge you to co-sponsor the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act (H. 347). All six species of sea turtles found in U.S waters – green turtle. hawksbill turtle, Kemp’s ridley turtle, leatherback turtle, loggerhead turtle, and olive ridley turtle – are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Despite this, rescue efforts for sea turtles who face entanglement, vessel strikes, and stranding across our coastlines are largely volunteer-run or underfunded.

The Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act (H. 347) expands the existing Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue and Response Grant program to include specific grants for sea turtle rescue. These grants can be used for the recovery and care of sick and injured sea turtles, responses to rescue stranded sea turtles, the collection of data for research and health assessments, facility operating costs, and the development of stranding network capacity.

On March 22, the bipartisan Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act (S.843) passed in the Senate by Unanimous Consent. To ensure rescue efforts are fully funded before the next sea turtle migration, please consider co-sponsoring this vital Act, and requesting a markup for the bill with the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Sincerely,

{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}

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