Sea Turtle Released At Honeymoon Island

An endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtle named Wally was released at  on Thursday.

Wally became the 10th sea turtle Clearwater Marine Aquarium has rehabilitated and released this year.

“We see people hooking turtles all year round, unfortunately,” said Danielle O'Neil, director of the marine turtles program.

Wally was caught by a fisherman at Redington Beach Pier on May 18. He had swallowed the fisherman’s baited hook. He was taken to the aquarium, where the turtle team was able to see the hook with an X-ray and a veterinarian removed it.

After three weeks of healing, Wally started eating well and was cleared for release.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium is one of the largest sea turtle rehabilitation facilities in the state. The $12 million aquarium will double its capacity for rehabilitating turtles. This year's release numbers are behind last year's, O'Neil said; because of the cold last year, more than 80 animals were released before June.

Like O'Neil said, a fisherman hooking a sea turtle is not rare in the Tampa Bay area. Here are some tips for responsible fishing and what to do if a sea turtle gets hooked:

• Use barbless hooks or circle hooks rather than J hooks with barbs.
• Try to use a net to bring in a hooked turtle; don’t reel it in.
• Do not try to remove the hook because it could cause more damage to the throat.
• If the line must be cut, leave at least 2 feet of it behind to tie off to stop the hook from moving and causing more damage.
• Do not try to release the sea turtle. Call Florida Fish and Wildlife at 888-404-3922 or Clearwater Marine Aquarium at 727-441-1790, ext. 234.