On Thursday, December 3, four loggerhead sea turtles rehabilitated by the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores were released into the ocean. To learn more about their journey, click here. All five loggerheads released were tagged so that they can be identified and their progress in the open ocean tracked.
Tags are place behind both rear flippers.
Early Thursday morning, the turtles were loaded about the Coast Guard Cutter Pointe Ward, docked at Ft. The trip to the Gulf Stream and warmer water temperature would take about two and half hours. In order to find the right place to release the turtles, a Coast Guard C-130 searched from above for saragassum sea weed. The saragassum will give the turtles shelter from predators. Many tasty critters can be found among the sea weed, so it will provide the turtles with plenty of food as well.