Mote releases green sea turtle one year after rescue

The green sea turtle that would later be nicknamed C.J. was in the right place at the right time when it became distressed near two Mote Marine employees who were fishing at a nearby dock after work.

Injured and malnourished, C.J. swam up near the Old Salty Dog, where Paul Waldrop and Mike Leworthy were fishing. When the pair noticed the adolescent turtle was injured and needed help, they netted it and brought it to Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital.

Almost exactly a year after finding the turtle, Waldrop and Leworthy released C.J. back into Sarasota Bay Sept. 29, near Moore’s Stone Crab Restaurant.

“It’s awesome to see the complete cycle,” Waldrop said. “We found him, rescued him, watched get him better, and now we’re letting him go.”

Both Waldrop and Leworthy admit they didn’t think C.J. would make it.

Jenna Rouse, an animal care technician at Mote, said the turtle’s lungs were exposed and it was on the critical list for months.

However, Rouse said eating is the fastest way to recovery, and C.J. had no problem doing that. On arrival C.J. weighed 12 pounds and now weighs more than 18 pounds.

“We knew immediately C.J. was going to be a great patient,” Rouse said. “Nutrition is the most important part of recovery, and he started eating as soon as he got to the hospital.”