It was a little early for her to go home, but the movement of a red tide to the north combined with a cooler weather pattern left little option.
According to Suzi Fox, executive director of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch, the timing for the release of the 200-pound loggerhead sea turtle, referred to as Ms. Turtle, was a short window of opportunity. The turtle was released into open waters of the Gulf of Mexico Dec. 27 at the IGA Beach in Anna Maria by members of Florida Aquarium and AMITW.
“She was about 10 pounds shy of what we like to see when releasing a rehabilitated turtle,” said Fox, “but the red tide looked to move north and a cooler weather pattern was developing.”
Warm water with plenty of food available is an ideal situation for a release, noted Fox.
“Right now the Gulf is warm and food plays a big part in it,” she said. “There is plenty of food in our waters, so things around Anna Maria looked very good for a happy release.”
The turtle was rescued offshore of Sanibel Island. Fox said it is unusual to release a turtle in a different location from where it was rescued, but factors such as those seen for this turtle did justify a release from a new location.
“Normally they are released back where they are found, except when you see problems like we’ve seen,” said Fox. “With the red tide problems off Sanibel, the Florida Aquarium people use our beach as one of their favorite beach spots, so they gave me a call to see about releasing her here. The conditions were right and they thought it would be the best spot.”
The turtle, which was rescued by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, has rehabbed at Florida Aquarium since being found Aug. 16. Fox said at the time she was rescued, she was severely emaciated and loaded with barnacles. She was also missing a right front flipper.
“People will ask why we released her with a missing flipper, but the truth is that almost a third of the turtles we see are missing a flipper. They do very well without them.”
The exact age of the turtle was not known, but she was considered to be a full adult. Fox said that means she was more than 35 years old.
“She also had something going on at the very top of her shell where her scoots were peeling back, but that too is not uncommon, and it doesn’t slow them down,” she said.
Fox said it was a “perfect release,” and the turtle appeared very happy to be back in open water.
“She’ll probably stay within 20 miles of us for a few days,” said Fox. “Being released in a different location isn’t going to be stressful for her. Turtles are solitary, so it’s not like she’s going to be looking for family. She could stay around longer. It’s not uncommon for some turtles to never venture too far from where they hatched. At any given time, there could be up to 50 turtles right offshore.”
For more information on the release or to learn more about AMITW, visit islandturtlewatch.com.