Clearwater Marine Aquarium released three sea turtles, Yum Yum, Carbonara, and Bryce Canyon at Honeymoon Island on August 18, 2022!
Yum Yum
Yum Yum is a juvenile, Kemp’s ridley sea turtle who was found floating in a canal near Hudson, FL on July 12, 2022. Yum Yum has severe carapace deformities from a previous traumatic injury. After a month in rehab at CMA, Yum Yum has been resting on the bottom consistently, foraging well, and showing no signs of buoyancy issues! Yum Yum has been cleared for release by our staff veterinarian and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission!
Carbonara
Carbonara is a juvenile green sea turtle who was accidentally captured in a fishing net near Clearwater Beach on Feb. 19, 2022. Carbonara had large fibropapilloma tumors on both eyes but was otherwise in good condition based on intake examination. Carbonara successfully had all fibropapilloma tumors removed while at CMA. Now that Carbonara’s surgical sites have healed, she is ready to go back home! Carbonara has been cleared for release by our staff veterinarian and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission!
Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon is a juvenile Kemp’s ridley who was found severely entangled in fishing line and buoy offshore near Madeira Beach on August 6, 2022. Luckily, the entanglement did not cause severe injuries to the flippers, however, there was swelling and inflammation present. Now, Bryce received a clean bill of health from our veterinarian and was successfully released at Honeymoon Island!
All sea turtles were cleared for release by our veterinarian Dr. Shelly Marquardt and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. We wish them all the best back in the wild!
All marine turtle footage taken in Florida was obtained with the approval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) under conditions not harmful to marine turtles. Footage was acquired while conducting authorized conservation activities pursuant to FWC MTP-21/22-172A.