Coast Guard Cutter Block Island Releases Turtles

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Block Island assisted the North Carolina Wildlife Commission to return more than 50 endangered sea turtles to the ocean 40-miles east of Beaufort Inlet, N.C., Friday.

The crew released 17 juvenile loggerhead and green turtles and 39 loggerhead hatchlings into the waters of the Gulf Stream.

The largest turtle released was a juvenile loggerhead that weight approximately 130 pounds.  Several of the sea turtles were tagged with transmitters that will allow aquariums to monitor them in the wild.

The safe release of these turtles is part of the Coast Guard’s broader effort to protect living marine resources.

The Block Island is a 110-foot Island Class patrol boat homeported in Atlantic Beach, N.C.