VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center's Stranding Response Team saved 56 turtles hooked on fishing lines in 2023.
This year's "hooked sea turtle season" honored the 60th anniversary of the City of Virginia Beach by naming all the rescued turtles after districts, landmarks and waterways in the area, according to the Aquarium.
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The first sea turtle hooked this season was a Kemp's ridely named Neptune, according to the Aquarium. Other sea turtles' names include Oceana, Back Bay, Mount Trashmore, Hilltop, ViBe and more.
The Aquarium's team actually responded to 63 calls about hooked sea turtles, but seven were unable to be retrieved because the Aquarium was either told about the hooking after the interaction or the fishing line broke during rescue and the turtle swam away, according to the Aquarium. This number of calls is just shy of last years record 71 reported interactions where there were 60 admitted turtle patients to the Aquarium's Darden Marine Animal Conservation Center (DMACC).
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Of the sea turtles admitted, nearly all were Kemp's ridleys, with the exception of three loggerheads, according to the Aquarium.
The Aquarium successfully rehabilitated 46 of the sea turtles this year before they were released back into the ocean, according to the Aquarium. Of the eight turtle's remaining, six are still at recovering at the DMACC, and two were transferred to and recovering at other facilities because the DMACC was at capacity.
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The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center's Stranding Response Team is now preparing for the cold stun rehab season that takes place when water temperatures drop in the winter and the sea turtles migrate to warmer waters. Anyone that sees a sea turtle, or other sea creature, on the beach or in distress should call the Aquarium's stranding hotline at 757-385-7575 24/7.
