Rehabilitated Juvenile Green Sea Turtle to be Released Back Into the Atlantic Ocean

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – Like the millions of people who call Florida home, so, too, do five species of sea turtles. And like their human counterparts, turtles are frequently seen just offshore from Broward County or near one of the many fishing piers that dot our shoreline. Unfortunately, sometimes these encounters aren’t always so friendly.

So is the plight of “Cedar,” a small green sea turtle that was inadvertently hooked by a fisherman near the Dania Beach Pier last month. Now that Cedar has been nursed back to health, it’s time for the little turtle to head back to whence it came – the Atlantic Ocean.

The public, including members of the media, are invited to join members the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program (BCSTCP), Nova Southeastern University (NSU,) and the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center and help give Cedar a tremendous send-off! The release event is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, November 5 at the Carpenter House, 4414 Surf Road, Hollywood. There is additional parking off of Green Street.

On October 8^th, 2015 the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program staff responded to a call to the 24-Hour Broward County Sea Turtle Emergency Response line (954-328-0580) about a small turtle that had been accidently hooked by a fisherman.  Upon arrival to the pier, pier staff had Cedar in a safely contained area. Cedar was quite active and was assessed on site by the BCSTCP program staff and then transported to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center for treatment. Cedar was very lively when first encountered, giving the response and rehabilitation staff hope that the turtle would make a good recovery.

Upon arrival at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, their rehabilitation staff was ready to receive Cedar for treatment. After a preliminary examination, one fishing hook was immediately found; two more were found later after X-rays were taken. Two hooks around the neck area were removed, but the third was too deeply imbedded in Cedar’s shell to be removed without further stressing the turtle. This third hook is extremely corroded and does not seem to be a long-term issue, leaving Gumbo’s staff with the confidence to that Cedar’s best option is to return home.

Unfortunately fishing hooks are a common cause of strandings near piers, since much of the bait used looks mighty tasty to a sea turtle. Thankfully, Dania Beach Pier staff were trained under the Responsible Pier Initiative in 2013, which better equips and familiarizes pier staff with how to respond once a sea turtle is hooked. This training allows for a faster response time to a specialized facility like Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, and therefore a better chance at survival.

After a month of treatment and rehabilitation at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Cedar is ready to head back home. The Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program, NSU’s Halmos College of Natural Sciences & Oceanography and the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center invites members of the South Florida media and the community at large to join us for the release of Cedar. Please come help us send Cedar back to the wild in style at 5 p.m. Thursday, November 5^th!

Here are some sea turtle stranding/rehabilitation stats from the past two years: