Park rangers from John D. MacArthur Beach State Park and staff members from Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park joined R/V ANGARI and her crew to release juvenile sea turtles offshore Palm Beach County.
EXPEDITION DETAILS
On July 28, 2025 R/V ANGARI departed West Palm Beach with John D. MacArthur Beach State Park park rangers and Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park staff members and guests to locate the perfect offshore patch of Sargassum to release 21 sea turtles under permit from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
The 21 sea turtles released on this expedition included: 2 juvenile loggerhead sea turtles from John D. MacArthur Beach State Park’s educational sea turtle ambassador program – 1 year old “Olive” and 10 months old “Mac” – and 1 juvenile loggerhead from the Museum of Discovery and Science; 17 loggerhead hatchlings and 1 leatherback hatchling. The R/V ANGARI found a perfect release site approximately 6 nm offshore in a substantial weedline. Upon arrival, the park rangers who had been closely monitoring the sea turtles during transit quickly set up for releases. One at a time, the juvenile loggerhead sea turtles were released, each one successfully and strongly swimming away. Next, the hatchlings were released one after another near Sargassum patches. All 21 sea turtles were successfully released, and everyone onboard cheered in celebration!
All sea turtle releases performed and photos and videos taken were under permission and in accordance to permit # MTPP-25-147-19.
ABOUT FRIENDS OF MACARTHUR BEACH STATE PARK
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park, Palm Beach County’s only state park, is situated on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Lake Worth Lagoon. The Park is made up of 436 acres of pristine coastal land and contains four different communities or habitats including seven species of plants and 22 species of animals on the endangered or threatened list. For more information about MacArthur Beach State Park visit, macarthurbeach.org.
