Mote sends Patti the sea turtle home

On May 14, a subadult loggerhead sea turtle was hooked in Lee County by an angler.

Now, a little more than three months later, that turtle made her way back to the sea.

On Aug. 30, Mote Marine Laboratory staff released the turtle, named Patti, into the Gulf of Mexico at Lido Beach.

When the angler noticed the turtle was hooked, he called Mote’s Stranding Investigations team and brought her to Mote. Mote staff found Patti covered in barnacles and algae, indicating that she could have been suffering from an illness before ingesting the fishing hook.

On May 15, Mote’s veterinarian anesthetized Patti and surgically removed the hook. Mote’s rehabilitation and medical care coordinator, Lynne Byrd, said usually hooks can be removed without surgery, but this hook was larger and had settled in Patti’s esophagus. Blood work revealed that Patti was anemic, as well.

On May 16, Patti moved to a rehabilitation tank and was put on antibiotics and fluid therapy. Initially, Patti wouldn’t eat, but on May 23, she began eating and eventually gained weight and become more active, a statement from Mote said.

In early July, Patti was well enough to be taken off the antibiotic and her anemia began to slowly resolve.

Byrd said calls about turtles getting hooked aren’t rare, and upon rescuing them, Mote staff often finds marks from other hooks. Turtles venture toward hooks because they think food will be around, she said.

“Once a turtle does this behavior, they’re more likely to do it again,” she said.

A statement from Mote reminds people to use circle hooks without barbs and hooks that corrode quickly to help prevent such incidents. Also, they recommend stowing trash and fishing line when a boat is moving to keep it from falling overboard. If a marine animal is hooked, do not cut the fishing line, Mote also recommends.