Marine Turtle Fibropapillomatosis Research

Fibropapillomatosis causes tumor growth in sea turtles, with welfare implications and links to coastal pollution.

Key Facts

Fibropapillomatosis causes benign tumors on skin, eyes, and internal organs of sea turtles
Green turtles are most commonly affected — prevalence can exceed 50% in some populations
Tumors can impair vision, swimming, feeding, and organ function causing chronic welfare harm
The disease is associated with herpesvirus but environmental factors including pollution appear to increase susceptibility
Rehabilitation centers treat affected turtles with surgery but recurrence rates are high

Welfare Considerations

Fibropapillomatosis represents a chronic welfare condition that compromises the quality of life for affected sea turtles. Tumors on or near the eyes impair vision, making foraging and navigation difficult. Oral tumors interfere with feeding. Internal organ tumors eventually cause systemic dysfunction. The disease progresses slowly, meaning affected turtles may experience months to years of welfare compromise before tumors become life-threatening. Rehabilitation and surgical removal can improve welfare for individual animals, though recurrence is common. The environmental associations — with polluted coastal waters — suggest that improving water quality may reduce disease prevalence and improve welfare outcomes at the population level.

What You Can Do

Support sea turtle rehabilitation centers that treat fibropapillomatosis cases
Advocate for coastal water quality improvements that reduce environmental disease triggers
Donate to sea turtle health research programs investigating fibropapillomatosis causes
Reduce plastic and chemical pollution entering coastal waters
Support sea turtle monitoring programs that track disease prevalence over time