Hundreds of dead sea turtles found off El Salvador coast

Hundreds of sea turtles found dead Almost 400 endangered sea turtles were found dead off the coast of El Salvador, prompting officials to investigate.

Officials in El Salvador are trying to figure out what happened after they found more than 300 dead sea turtles in the country’s waters.

The El Salvadorian environment ministry said in a news release the turtles were found in two areas off the shore of the Jiquilisco Bay, which is about 100 kilometres south of San Salvador.

Experts found between 300 and 400 dead green sea turtles, which the International Union for the Conservation of Nature has listed as “endangered” since 1982, and the El Salvadorian Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources says there could be many more that weren’t found.

“We must take into account that the currents could drag the remains much further,” according to a translation of the Friday news release.

While the cause of the deaths is unknown, the department says satellite imagery of the area showed chlorophyll levels were four times higher than normal following a recent rainfall.

Higher levels of chlorophyll are common with a red tide, where various species of algae spread rapidly in an area. Red tides can severely lower the oxygen levels in the water and have been known to be toxic for sea turtles and manatees.

Scientists also gathered water samples from the area and are awaiting the results.