Baltimore, November 20 - On Monday, November 13 the National Aquarium in Baltimore's Marine Animal Rescue Program, working with the Virginia Aquarium, released a rehabilitated loggerhead turtle off Frisco Beach in North Carolina. The turtle stranded in July on Hooper's Island in the Chesapeake Bay. It had become entangled in a recreational fishing line which had partially severed its flipper, cutting off blood supply to the injured limb. The turtle, named Ed, underwent surgery at the Aquarium to have the damaged flipper removed.
Ed was released with a satellite tag affixed to his back that will transmit information about where he goes. Initial transmissions from the tag indicate that Ed is making good progress, currently traveling along the coast of the North Carolina's Outer Banks.
Like in other releases, the public can monitor Ed's whereabouts on the Aquarium's web site at aqua.org. With Ed's release, the Aquarium is debuting new technology that will allow web visitors to better view the turtle's path. Using Google Maps, the Aquarium can now provide satellite imagery of Ed's path and his latest transmitted coordinates. Google Maps provides a high level of interactivity by allowing site visitors the ability to pan, zoom and switch between a map view, satellite imagery and a hybrid of both. The web site will also have information about Ed's rehabilitation and how to protect loggerheads, a threatened species, and other marine life.
» Click Here to View the Latest Tracking Data for Ed
Adult loggerheads are known to make extensive migrations between foraging areas and nesting beaches each year. It is expected that Ed will continue his progress southward towards more temperate waters for the winter months. The satellite tag could track Ed's movements for up to several months until the adhesive fails and the tag falls off. The tag was a donation from the Shared Earth Foundation.
The National Aquarium in Baltimore, a non-profit organization, is Maryland's most exciting and popular cultural attraction, as well as one of the region's leading conservation and education resources, hosting more than 1.6 million visitors per year. The Aquarium's mission is to connect people with aquatic life in order to create a better world for both. It is dedicated to education and conservation through more than a dozen programs that serve the environment and the community.
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