Today, she has a better understanding than most. Marks works for the University of Miami's Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS). She directly supports NOAA’s Office of Protected Resources as the Deepwater Horizon Sea Turtle Early Restoration Project Coordinator. 

Located in Florida, Marks coordinates sea turtle restoration efforts in the Gulf of Mexico. By reducing bycatch, observing fisheries and responding to sea turtle strandings and entanglements, the Sea Turtle Early Restoration Project hopes to turn the tide in the turtles’ favor.

“It’s hard to imagine the number of turtles affected by this oil spill,” Marks said of the estimated 100,000 to 200,000 endangered sea turtles that were injured or killed.

Oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill spoiled sea turtle habitats from the open sea to the sandy shores where turtles nest and lay eggs. Sea turtles of every size were affected, from giant adults to smaller juveniles to the 35,000 hatchlings lost during the spill and associated clean-up activities on sea turtle nesting beaches.

The full impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is unknown. Sea turtles live for a long time; they migrate more than 1,000 miles to nest and do not reach sexual maturity until around 30 years of age. They mate only every two to five years.

“There is no telling how many of the adults lost during Deepwater Horizon could have potentially nested in the summer of 2010 but never got the opportunity to,” Marks said. “We knew we had a lot of work to do to protect sea turtles in the future to get their populations to bounce back to pre-oil spill numbers.”

Five species of sea turtle inhabit the Gulf of Mexico: green, loggerhead, hawksbill, leatherback and Kemp’s ridley, the smallest sea turtle in the world. Each is listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. 

Implemented by NOAA and the Department of the Interior (DOI), the Sea Turtle Early Restoration Project is funded in part by the $20 billion in civil and criminal penalties paid by BP, a multinational oil and gas company, which was found responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill along with other responsible parties.

“Our work involves a lot of data entry and analysis,” Marks said. “The findings are then shared through peer-reviewed publications and reports to help with management decisions for population recovery.”

According to NOAA, bycatch, the incidental capture of unintended marine life in fishing gear, is the primary human-caused source of sea turtle injury and mortality in the U.S. One way to reduce sea turtle bycatch in the Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl fishery depends on a piece of equipment called a turtle excluder device or a TED. 

The device, made of metal bars and mesh, redirects sea turtles and larger animals caught in trawl net fishing gear. The TED allows sea turtles to exit the net. 

“It’s pretty cool science,” Marks said. “TEDs likely save hundreds to thousands of turtles every year! TEDs need to be installed correctly and maintained, so our gear monitoring team goes out to docks from Texas to Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, and offers to inspect each of the TEDs individually.” 

“We also have observers on a subset of shrimp trawl boats,” Marks continued. “Observers watch for and document sea turtle bycatch. Usually, if the TEDs are installed correctly, everything goes well.” 

The restoration project also focuses on responding to stranded sea turtles, conducting mortality investigations and assisting with large-scale emergency responses. One example of emergency response work is responding to cold-stunning events in the Gulf of Mexico. During winter months, water temperatures drop (to less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit), especially in inshore waterways. Sea turtles, like all reptiles, are cold-blooded and take on the temperature of the environment around them. 

“If sea turtles get cold, they start to shut down external parts of their body,” Marks said. “If they get too cold, eventually everything will shut down, and the turtle will drown.”

While the turtles are cold-stunned, they float. NOAA-authorized emergency responders must reach them during this time. Stunned turtles are lifted from the water and slowly warmed in boats or cars before being transported to a rehabilitation facility.

“We send funds and support additional staffing hours to help with cold-stunning events,” Marks said. “Because once you get those turtles out of the water and warm them back up, you can rescue them. If you can get to them in time, there can be very low mortality rates.”

When turtles don’t survive, whether found floating or washed up dead on shore, the Sea Turtle Early Restoration Project partners investigate the cause of the mortality. 

“We do full necropsies to try and understand why they died,” Marks said. “That gives us more information on how to protect them. Because if you understand what's harming turtles in their environment, and so many of those things are human-related, there’s a lot you can do to help manage those threats.”

Over the years, Marks’ interest in wildlife necropsy has grown. She will expand her knowledge on the subject this fall through the University of Florida’s Wildlife Forensics and Conservation master’s degree program.

“Looking back, I really do feel that the University of Delaware was the perfect place for me,” said Marks, who served two years as president of UD’s Club Equestrian team. “Having the farm on campus exposed me to animals of all sizes. The classes I took within the animal science major gave me breadth and background beyond farm and domestic animals.”  

Marks has leveraged her UD bachelor’s degree in animal science into a career in caring for marine life. She recommends that UD students follow their interests and take the opportunities that come their way.

 “My first exposure to sea turtles came through a volunteer opportunity,” she said. “That experience helped me get my first sea turtle job later on down the line.” 

Marks currently volunteers her time and expertise assisting with sea turtle strandings as a volunteer for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“I've always loved being in the ocean,” Marks said. “There are so many beautiful animals and unique plant life. Everything about the ocean is different from what’s on land.”