On April 14, 31 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were safely released back to the Atlantic Ocean as a throng of marine biologists — and hopeful onlookers — cheered.
The release, which happened on the sunny shores of Fort Fisher, North Carolina, was thanks to a coordinated effort between the marine biologists at the New England Aquarium and the Fort Fisher Aquarium.
The 31 turtles — 25 from the New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital and six from the New York Marine Rescue Center — were just a small part of a larger operation that had saved nearly 500 stranded sea turtles from November 2024 through January 2025.
Turtle stranding is a growing issue, caused by changing ocean temperatures and extreme wind patterns that force sea turtles up north, leaving them “cold-stunned” — or hypothermic — in the freezing waters of Cape Cod Bay.
It’s a condition that leaves Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, a critically endangered species, grappling with pneumonia and dehydration.
Sammi Chaves, a New England Aquarium rescue biologist, organized transportation from Massachusetts down to North Carolina. The release was only possible due to the aquarium’s four-to-five-month rehabilitation program.
“It is always incredible to watch these turtles become healthy again after being cold-stunned,” Chaves said in a press statement.
“The progress they make from when they first arrive at the New England Aquarium all the way to when they are released on the beach is amazing and really proves how resilient these animals are.”
According to the New England Aquarium staff, their team has a tradition of naming turtles who receive long-term care.
This year, all of the rescued turtles were named after figures in Greek mythology — like Pegasus, “known among staffers for its graceful swimming,” and Linus, “a small turtle with a big appetite.”
There was one turtle in the throng who stood apart from the rest, “Violet,” a turtle that was rescued in 2023 and released in August of 2024 — only to be found stranded again two months later.
When the aquarium released her for the second time on April 14, Violet had a new acoustic tag affixed to her shell so that the team of biologists could continue to track her — and learn more about the Kemp’s ridley’s greater migration patterns in the process.
Another 42 turtles await release at the New England Aquarium facility, destined for the azure waters of the Nantucket Sound later this summer.
“With sea turtle strandings on the rise over the past decade, our rescue, rehabilitation, and research efforts are more important than ever,” said Adam Kennedy, the aquarium’s director of rescue and rehabilitation.
“We have much to learn about these animals, especially the critically endangered Kemp’s ridley, if we are to ensure a viable future for them.”
Header image via Vanessa Kahn / New England Aquarium
