Clearwater Marine Aquarium rehabs, releases 15 sea turtles

Fifteen juvenile sea turtles were released into the Atlantic Ocean Thursday by staffers and volunteers from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where the animals had been in rehabilitation quarantine since December.

The nine green turtles and six Kemp’s ridleys had been cold-stunned, the result of frigid or quickly-lowering marine temperatures. Reptiles are cold-blooded and low temperatures can render them lethargic or immobile, resulting in dehydration and starvation.

The Kemp’s ridley is a critically-endangered turtle; 12 cold-stunned juveniles were rescued from the waters off Cape Cod in Massachusetts. The New England Aquarium delivered them to Clearwater for rehab and release. Four had already been released, following rehabilitation, in early February.

Likewise, St. Augustine’s Whitney Marine Lab sent 12 green turtles – also relatively common in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean, it’s also listed as an endangered species – to the rehabilitation center in Clearwater.

After being deemed medically healthy enough to return to the wild, the 15 turtles were released into the water at Anastasia St. Park near St. Augustine.