Since the BP oil disaster, scientists are reporting a large number of sea turtle deaths in the Gulf of Mexico.
As the lead forensic veterinarian for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Dr. Brian Stacey is disecting sea turtles found dead in the Gulf since the oil spill.
Dr. Stacy says he's done about 175 so far, and he still has over a hundred more to do.
Many of the turtles Dr. Stacy has been disecting have been found with shrimp and fish in their stomach---items that are not part of a sea turtles normal diet.
"The things we think about are animals that drown in fisheries, or animals that drown from some very acute affect that doesn't cause anything we're going to see readily visible, at the time of necropsy" said Dr. Stacy Tuesday inside a University of Florida lab.
Much of the evidence he's finding show the turtles are dying by being drowned by the nets of shrimpers and fishermen. However toxicology tests will determine several other causes of death- like oiled food and toxic fumes.