Sea Turtle Release Set for Tuesday

Urchin, a juvenile green sea turtle, is healed up and ready to go back to his home in the Gulf.

That’s reason enough for the folks at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to celebrate. The organization plans to release the critter at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday from Fort De Soto Park, 3500 Pinellas Bayway S., in St. Petersburg. Bay area residents are invited to attend the festivities.

Urchin was brought to the aquarium April 23 after he was found on Pass-A-Grille Beach with a cluster of fishing line wrapped to his front right flipper. A large fishing lure was also attached. Urchin weighs about 4 pounds and he is 9.5 inches long. The lure was a whopping 9 inches, the aquarium noted in a media release.

Rescuers from the aquarium’s sea turtle rehabilitation facility removed the line and lure right away and then let the little critter simply recover from injuries.

“Urchin healed quickly and will be released after just 13 days,” the release stated.

The aquarium has provided care for 375 sea turtles since 2010. Urchin will become the ninth sea turtle released in 2015 alone.

For more information about the aquarium, visit it online.

Photos courtesy of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium

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