Lethargic Sea Turtle Rescued In Bay: Coast Guard

CORTEZ, FL — A U.S. Coast Guard Station Cortez reserve crew responded to reports of a lethargic sea turtle in Tampa Bay on Saturday.

The distressed turtle, possibly affected by red tide, was found near the North Fishing Pier, the station wrote in a Facebook post.

The turtle was brought to the station, where Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium picked her up and brought her to Clearwater Marine Aquarium over the weekend for evaluation and care.

Though the Coast Guard crew initially dubbed the ailing turtle “Frank the Tank,” it turned out to be a female loggerhead that has since been named Dhebra, Marsha Strickhouser, director of media relations for CMA, told Patch.

Dhebra, who weighs about 200 pounds, showed signs of lethargy and buoyancy, Strickhouser said.

The aquarium’s sea turtle rehabilitation staff is performing diagnostic tests on the turtle to determine the cause of her buoyancy. Gastrointestinal issues are a possible cause.

Aquarium staff is uncertain whether red tide has affected the turtle, Strickhouser added. “Results are pending to rule it out.”

Named for its massive block-like head, loggerheads are the most common turtle in Florida, according to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. They can grow from 2.4- to 3.5-feet long and can weigh between 155 and 412 pounds.

Loggerhead sea turtles are protected as a threatened species by the Federal Endangered Species Act and as a federally-designated threatened species by Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species Rule and by Florida's Marine Turtle Protection Act.