Rescued sea turtle with 3 flippers recovers at Long Beach aquarium

A green sea turtle that was rescued nearly a year ago from tangled fishing line in the San Gabriel River is recovering at a newly constructed pool at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.

Aquarium staff said the turtle was rescued last March after volunteers with the Southern California Sea Turtle Monitoring Project found the turtle stuck, with fishing line wrapped around its flipper, preventing it from swimming away.

Today, that turtle swims with three flippers in the new 4,000-gallon rehabilitation pool.

"The line was wrapped tightly around its right flipper, near its body, which cut off its blood supply," Dr. Lance Adams, Aquarium of the Pacific veterinarian, said.

 "This resulted in a severely infected wound, and the death of a flipper, which then required surgery by our veterinary team to remove it and make it possible to save the turtle's life."

After nearly a year of rehabilitation and care, the turtle recovered from its life-threatening injuries and "is now thriving and swimming confidently in the water,"  Adams said. The turtle is expected to return to the wild in the coming weeks.

The Long Beach aquarium is one of two facilities in Southern California with dedicated aquatic facilities and staff experience for caring for wild turtles. The turtle is expected to be released back to its wild habitat in the coming weeks. 

The new aquarium pool can accommodate one or more turtles, depending on their size.

Aquarium staff said if a sea turtle appears stranded, sick, or injured, call NOAA's Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network at (562) 506-4315.