RIVERHEAD FOUNDATION COURTESY PHOTO | Rob DiGiovanni, executive director of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research, and a volunteer apply a satellite tag to a rehabilitated green sea turtle.

The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation announced this week that cold stun season has officially begun for sea turtles on the East End.

The foundation is asking people to walk local beaches and report any sea turtles they spot, even if they appear to be dead, to (631) 369-9840. After 5 p.m. you can  report any found turtles on the foundation’s 24-hour hotline at (631) 369-9829.

Turtles are often found deposited along the high tide line and may be hard to see, especially if they are covered with seaweed or barnacles.

Friday afternoon, a cold stunned Atlantic Green Sea Turtle was found in Hampton Bays, but turtles can be found along all of the East End’s shores, even on the Sound side.

Click to read more about cold-stunned sea turtles