Endangered Sea Turtle Released Into Wild Following Rescue

SEAL BEACH, CA — A rehabilitated sea turtle weighing nearly 160 pounds was returned to the ocean, Tuesday, thanks to the Aquarium of the Pacific’s veterinary and animal husbandry staff.

She was found about a month ago, injured in the San Gabriel River to the Aquarium of the Pacific, with a fishing hook lodged in her esophagus. Endoscopic surgery was used to remove the hook and attached fishing line. Untreated, such a condition can be fatal to sea turtles, a spokesperson for the Aquarium of the Pacific said.

Marine Animal Rescue brought the marine turtle to the Aquarium of the Pacific, with authorization from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Fisheries office. There, she received a medical evaluation and subsequent care thanks to the Aquarium’s expertise in treating and releasing stranded and injured sea turtles.

Roughly 30 days later, she was fully recovered, and had resumed self feeding. The aquarium’s veterinary team decided that the sea turtle was healthy for release.

This was not her first venture to the Orange County shores. A search of her identification tag showed she was examined in 2014 by NOAA sea turtle biologists in the San Gabriel River.

Since then the sea turtle grew approximately 8 inches in size, and gained about 90 pounds, they reported.

The release location was chosen for its warm water temperatures and because it is a common migratory habitat for this sea turtle species.

The Aquarium of the Pacific has rehabilitated and released several sea turtles in recent years, including the most recent one in August of 2019. Some have been fitted with satellite tracking devices that allowed scientists to gather data about their migration patterns and habitats. The sea turtle released on October 8 is fitted with a microchip ID and metal flipper tag. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, breeding colony populations of green sea turtles in Florida and on the Pacific Coast of Mexico are listed as endangered; all others are listed as threatened.

Aquarium volunteers conduct a monthly count of green sea turtles seen in the San Gabriel River through a citizen science program. To learn more, visit aquariumofpacific.org and click on Conservation.