Sea Turtle Released and Tracked With GPS Device

The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California recently released an Olive Ridley sea turtle after it was rehabilitated. The turtle was rescued in January after it was found on Venice Beach. At the time, the sea turtle was severely underweight, had buoyancy problems, and was hypothermic. Olive Ridley sea turtles also happen to be listed as an endangered species. It was determined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service that the Aquarium of the Pacific would provide veterinary care and shelter for the sea turtle.

 

Fortunately, the rescued Olive Ridley was provided great care by the aquarium and had a speedy recovery. On September 5th, with the help of the Harbor Breeze Cruises and the Port of Long Beach, the turtle was healthy enough to be released back into the ocean, but not without strings attached. Well, there are no literal strings, but the aquarium fitted the sea turtle with a satellite tag featuring GPS technology in order to monitor the turtles journey. The GPS tracking device provides periodic updates of the turtle’s location.

 

The tracking data provided by the satellite tag shows that the turtle has been very busy swimming. It appears to be doing very well, traveling an impressive distance. At first, it swam about 8 miles out to sea, before heading south. The tracking information shows that the recently released Olive Ridley has been meandering closer to the shore and then back out, but continues to travel south. Since it was released, the turtle has swam an impressive 200 miles south.

 

The Aquarium of the Pacific does a great job of educating the public of local marine life, including this rescued, endangered sea turtle. The aquarium has been publishing weekly updates on its website of the tracking data. Anyone interested in the turtle’s progress can log on to the site and see an update every week, showing the latest destination.

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Sea Turtle Released and Tracked With GPS Device