Gulf World Marine Institute Releases Loggerhead Sea Turtle ‘Arrow’ Back into the Gulf

GULF COUNTY, Fla ( WMBB ) – A sea turtle named ‘Arrow’ swam back into the Gulf on Wednesday morning after a short rehabilitation with the Gulf World Marine Institute. But it’s not the first time he’s been rescued.

After being accidentally hooked by fishermen at the Russell-Fields Pier. Arrow was brought into rehab at the Gulf World Marine Institute to safely remove the fishing gear.

The sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle is no stranger to the program. This is Arrow’s third time needing rehab due to similar injuries.

The reptile was first rescued in 2019, then again in 2023.

This time around arrow only spent about a week with the non-profit before they released the sea creature at Salinas Park in Cape San Blas.

“We’re here in Gulf County today, because the more they come to our fishing piers, the less we want them to come back. So we release them a little bit further away in the hopes that he will not find his way back to our fishing piers over in Bay County,” Gulf World Marine Institute Stranding Coordinator Lauren Albrittain said.

The event was open to the public to give people a chance to get a closer look at the rescue and release process. The non-profit group hopes to create awareness of what they do and encourage others to preserve marine life.

Sea turtle enthusiasts, families, photographers, and experts turned out to watch the release.

One local couple even showed off their matching sea turtle tattoos.

“It was great. We’ve never seen that. So it was amazing to see. I don’t think he wanted to leave his care, but he did and that’s what it’s all about.” “I loved it. I mean, I just like seeing him look around, like, what’s going on here? And then he’s like, once he made his way to the water and touched that water, it was like home sweet home,” Cape San Blas residents Don and Elizabeth Sehlke said.

Albrittain says a lot of the work they do is because of a large volunteer team.

“We get a lot of our volunteers from people who watch the releases and were like, Hey, that looks awesome. So it’s really great for raising awareness and just connecting the people to something so that they care. And when people care about things, they protect them,” Albrittain said.

Gulf World says it’s important to remember that after severe weather events many sea creatures are in need of rescue.

If you see a stranded, injured, or deceased dolphin, whale, or sea turtle, call the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission at 888-404-3922.

For details on how to help or learn more about the sea turtle rescue program, click here .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to mypanhandle.com.