'Murph' the turtle released from Lido Beach

“Murph,” an adult male loggerhead turtle weighing in at nearly 300 pounds was released yesterday off of Lido Beach after rehabbing at Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital.

Before his release, Murph was outfitted with a special satellite tag to allow Mote’s Sea Turtle Research and Conservation Program to track him. He is believed to be the first male loggerhead on Florida’s West Coast to be tagged with a transmitter that provides information about temperature and depth, in addition to location.

Murph was named in honor of Navy Lt. Michael Murphy, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2005.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].