From KARE11 News website:
SCANDIA, Minn. — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources revealed the cause of death for several turtles found along the St. Croix River last weekend.
A DNR spokesperson told KARE 11 on Tuesday that the animals were caught in a net used by the agency to monitor the river’s catfish population. The spokesperson said most of the turtles were released back into the river alive, but about 20 did not survive.
Full statement:
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries staff members have been sampling the St. Croix River catfish population since Aug. 5 using hoop nets. Hoop nets are often deployed underwater to capture catfish and other species that live near the bottom of the river. When DNR staff members checked the catfish nets on Wednesday, Aug. 21, they estimated that 60 turtles had been caught incidentally. This is the first time since surveys began in 2020 that a large number of turtles were captured and observed during these catfish surveys. Most of the turtles were identified as spiny softshell turtles.
DNR staff members successfully released the majority of the turtles back into the St. Croix River alive. Fisheries staff attempted to revive and recover all captured turtles, and the turtles that didn’t leave immediately were placed on a sand bank to swim back into the river later. DNR staff checked on the turtles a day later and noticed many swam away. However, approximately 20 turtles did not survive. Local river users later observed some of these on the bank, which were removed by National Park Service staff over the weekend. No endangered or threatened species were impacted, and the turtle species impacted are common in the St. Croix River and have a healthy population.
DNR Fisheries staff members have now removed these nets from this location on the St. Croix River to minimize future incidental turtle catches. The DNR is committed to its responsibility of protecting and conserving all fish and wildlife species in the state.
A video posted over the weekend showed at least five turtles lined up along the shore, while others reported more dead turtles along another part of the river.
Jordan Gray with Turtle Survival Alliance said told KARE 11 on Monday he suspected fishing gear was to blame.
“All of them were intact, somewhat bloated. Typically, when I see those types of turtle die-offs it’s because the turtles were captured in fishing gear and then discarded,” Gray said.
The Turtle Survival Alliance is a nonprofit that works to prevent tortoises and freshwater turtles from going extinct.
“Normally, if you put fishing gear into the river, you’re not just putting it into one spot, you’re putting it into multiple places. Now, you can get die-offs from let’s say a hazardous material spilled into water but normally the turtles would be spread out, strewing about, especially not lined up five in a row,” he said.
Minnesota and Wisconsin both have regulations when it comes to casting a net in the St. Croix River.
Gray said Minnesota got new protections for snapping turtles and western painted turtles that went into effect this year. He said the state’s DNR tried to get similar protections for spiny softshell turtles.
“The softshell turtle, they are basically the vultures of waterways,” Gray said.
He said if a turtle got caught in a net it wouldn’t survive long underwater during the summer.
“It all depends on the water temperature, how long they can stay submerged, you know, during the winters in Minnesota turtles are underwater for months at a time, but during the summertime when the waters are warmer, they can only stay submerged, it depends, 15 minutes, an hour,” he said.
