Beach Cleanup Volunteers Rescue Endangered Kemp's Ridley Turtle — 10,000 Pieces Of Trash Collected

During the fifth annual Toby's Earth Month Island-Wide Spring Litter Sweep on April 12, volunteers on Folly Beach, South Carolina, discovered and helped rescue a juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtle that had been hooked at the Folly Beach fishing pier.

"The turtle was raised from the water using a drop net," Dave Miller of Folly Beach Turtle Watch told WCSC-TV. "It was hooked in the mouth, but the hook readily became disengaged."

According to Miller, the angler believed all hooks were accounted for and that no hook had been swallowed. Had a hook been ingested, the turtle would have been transported to the Sea Turtle Care Center for veterinary care.

Volunteers also collected more than 10,000 pieces of litter in roughly two hours during the sweep — a striking reminder of the pollution that affects coastal wildlife and habitats. "What we do is born of our love for the ocean and our love for the environment," said Sarah Butler, executive director of the surf-therapy nonprofit Waves 4 Women. "You can't rely on others... It matters now just like it mattered 10 years ago and it will matter in the future."

About the Kemp's Ridley

Miller identified the rescued animal as a Kemp's ridley, the smallest and one of the most endangered sea turtle species. He noted this was Folly Beach's first stranding of the 2026 season and emphasized that Kemp's ridleys are relatively rare visitors to South Carolina.

Kemp's ridleys primarily nest in large, synchronized groups on Gulf of Mexico beaches and are unique among sea turtles for nesting during the daytime.

Climate, Range Shifts, And Recent Strandings

Rising sea temperatures have pushed some Kemp's ridleys farther north, exposing them to sudden cold snaps and other stresses when conditions change abruptly, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Recent incidents illustrate the risks: one individual washed up on a Texas beach last month and was being treated for severe pneumonia and ocular ulcers, the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research reported. In November, about 35 Kemp's ridleys were found along a New England shoreline and taken to the Audubon Aquarium Rescue in New Orleans for recovery efforts.

The National Wildlife Federation notes that Kemp's ridley sea turtles have been listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act since 1970 and remain listed as critically endangered internationally. Conservation progress over recent decades suffered setbacks after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

PEOPLE has reached out to Waves 4 Women and Folly Beach Turtle Watch for further comment on the rescue.