New England Aquarium releases 18 rehabilitated sea turtles into ocean waters off North Carolina

FORT FISHER, N.C. (April 14, 2026) – After months undergoing rehabilitative care, 18 critically endangered sea turtles are now back in the Atlantic Ocean.

**PHOTOS AND VIDEO AVAILABLE HERE WITH CREDIT TO NC STATE PARKS**

Biologists from the New England Aquarium drove 12 Kemp’s ridley and two loggerhead sea turtles from the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, Mass., to Fort Fisher, North Carolina, for their first release of the season on Monday. The team also released four sea turtles that were triaged by the Aquarium and then continued rehabilitation at Mystic Aquarium. The turtles spent four to five months undergoing treatment for conditions including pneumonia and dehydration after becoming cold-stunned in November and December on Cape Cod beaches. After veterinarians recently cleared the group of sea turtles to return to the ocean, the Aquarium organized this ground transport south, where the waters are now warm enough for the animals to reacclimate.

“Sea turtles are incredibly resilient animals,” said Gabriela Shorten, a Rescue Biologist at the New England Aquarium who led the transport. “When these cold-stunned turtles first come into our care, they are barely responsive—but when we carry one down to the beach for release, we’re reminded exactly why this conservation work matters.”

During ground transports, the vehicle temperature is set to match the water temperature at the release location and monitored throughout the trip. The turtles also receive fluids to better prepare them for a return to the ocean.

Aquarium staff, volunteers, and interns have a tradition of naming the turtles receiving months-long care. This year’s theme was fonts. Some of the turtles released included:

• “Meep,” who came in with a heart rate of one beat per minute and a deep fracture on its shell that could have affected its mobility, has healed well and can use all four flippers..
• “Broadway,” a small turtle that came in extremely underweight and has now gained almost three pounds.
• “Comic Sans” arrived at the Sea Turtle Hospital with severe pneumonia in the right lung. After that quickly resolved, the turtle became an enthusiastic eater of squid and herring steaks.
• “Poor Richard” and “Mr. Gabe” are two of the smallest loggerheads Aquarium staff has ever helped rehabilitate.

“Sea turtle strandings have risen steadily over the past decade, and our rescue, rehabilitation, and research work has never been more critical. There is still so much we need to understand about these animals, particularly the critically endangered Kemp’s ridley, and that knowledge is essential to securing their future,” said Adam Kennedy, the Aquarium’s Director of Rescue and Rehabilitation.

The 2025 stranding season ramped up quickly, with nearly 200 turtles arriving in one week very early in the season. This season, which began in November 2025 and carried into December, nearly 500 live turtles came through the Aquarium’s doors. Rapidly changing ocean temperature and wind patterns cause many turtles to become hypothermic and strand on the shores of Cape Cod Bay. Staff and volunteers from Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary walk the beaches and rescue the animals, transporting them to the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital to be triaged and rehabilitated.

Rescued sea turtles may require weeks or months of care depending on the severity of their illnesses and injuries. The remaining 44 turtles at the Aquarium facility will be released off Cape Cod in the summer months, once the waters of Nantucket Sound have warmed.

MEDIA CONTACT: Pam Bechtold Snyder—psnyder@neaq.org