Capt. David White of Great White Charters in Holmes Beach rescued a stranded 220-pound loggerhead sea turtle Oct. 30, when boating about a mile offshore of Holmes Beach.
White said when he discovered the turtle — which was subsequently named Sea Salt — the large male loggerhead was “acting lethargic” and having buoyancy issues.
White contacted Mote Marine Laboratory and spoke with Gretchen Lovewell, Mote’s stranding investigations program manager.
Lovewell instructed White to bring the turtle aboard his boat and representatives of Mote were dispatched to meet White and Sea Salt at the Coquina South Boat Ramp in Bradenton Beach.
“They took over from there,” White said.
According to White, specialists at Mote determined Sea Salt had traveled through a high concentration of red tide, which entered the animal’s bloodstream. The turtle is expected to recover.
As of Nov. 1, Sea Salt was in a rehabilitation tank at Mote on City Island in Sarasota and “showing signs of improvement,” White said.
“We saved a turtle! Pretty cool,” he said.
According to White, Sea Salt’s progress will be updated on Mote’s website at www.mote.org.