25 Juvenile Sea Turtles Named After Beaches, Rehabilitated, Released by National Aquarium in Florida

Twenty-five juvenile sea turtles that were rehabilitated and given beach names were released into the ocean by the National Aquarium in Florida.

Every year during turtle stranding season, aquarium volunteers and staff decide on a naming convention, and this year's turtles were given names of well-known beaches.

Rehabilitated Juvenile Sea Turtles

The 12 green sea turtles, plus the 13 Kemp's ridley sea turtles, that were released on February 22 in St. Augustine, Florida, all developed illnesses as a result of cold stunning by the end of 2022.

Staff from the National Aquarium treated fifteen of the turtles, while Mystic Aquarium staff treated seven, and Virginia Aquarium staff treated three.

After becoming stranded off the coast of Massachusetts, the 26 sea turtles that the National Aquarium cared for arrived on November 30.

The turtles received medical care for conditions that are frequently brought on by cold stunning, such as severe pneumonia, blood infections, dehydration, emaciation, and several cases of osteomyelitis, NBC15 News reports.

Pneumonia, Cold Stunning

Dewey, the smallest sea turtle treated at the National Aquarium, was one of the recovered and released turtles, weighing only 2.2 lbs. This indicated that he was probably no more than 1 or 2 years old. Dewey recovered quickly and began to show signs of improvement right away, even though his small size put him at risk for severe pneumonia and a protracted recovery, according to the National Aquarium.

Dewey developed a voracious appetite right away, even to the point of taking food from larger turtles in his enclosure. Dewey recovered remarkably well, gaining 2 more pounds while receiving treatment at the National Aquarium, and now weighs a healthy amount for his age.

Over 850 sea turtles stranded themselves in the Greater Atlantic Region spanning from Maine to Virginia this year, making it the third-highest cold-stun season on record. A greater number of green sea turtles were admitted to the National Aquarium, which presented new difficulties for the teams due to their various illnesses.

Sadly, almost instantaneously after arriving at the aquarium, one green sea turtle passed away from a severe infection that was the cause of her cold stunning illness. Although losing a patient is never easy, the rescue teams were able to gain knowledge about how those symptoms manifested to better support other patients.The Animal Health and Rescue teams at the National Aquarium are proud to assist in the long-term rehabilitation of these injured animals as they recover and go back to the sea, Abc Affiliate - KATU2 reports.

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Sea Turtles

A significant keystone species, sea turtles are essential to maintaining both the diversity of species and the health of the oceans. There are seven different types of sea turtles; the flatback is unique to Australia, while the other six, including the loggerhead and olive ridley, are widespread and can be found in US waters. Numerous human-related factors have a negative impact on sea turtle populations.

According to The Florida Aquarium, entanglement from fishery trawls, longlines, gill nets, and abandoned personal-use fishing gear are other major problems affecting sea turtles. Ingestion of or entanglement in plastic waste is a significant threat.