Patient story
Meet Narwhal
Discover how your support helps turtles like Narwhal return home.
Patient Info
SPECIES
Green Sea Turtle
aGE
5-12Years
wEIGHT
12 Lbs
DATE ARRIVED
05/07/2026
ISSUE
Externally Hooked
the story
About Narwhal
Narwhal, a juvenile green sea turtle, was found washed ashore in Boca Raton with a large fishing rig attached. Beachgoers recognized that the turtle was in trouble and called the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline for help.
Rescue
Narwhal stranded on shore due to the large fishing rig attached. The rig had many small hooks a large heavy weight. Several of the hooks had embedded in Narwhal’s left shoulder with the rest of the weighted rig trailing behind.
Diagnose
Radiographs showed no deep damage caused by the fishing hooks. Bloodwork and a full exam showed that Narwhal was otherwise a healthy turtle.
Care
The fishing rig was carefully removed from Narwhal’s shoulder. The drag caused by the rig and large weight impacted Narwhal’s flipper strength and shoulder stability. Narwhal spent a short time in our hospital to rest and heal before being released.
Fun Fact
The fishing rig that was embedded into the shoulder is known as a Sabiki Rig. These are multi-hook fishing lines used to catch bait fish. The hooks are small to target the smaller bait fish. This Sabiki Rig attached to Narwhal had 12 hooks, each with a bright green lure, and a half pound weight.
Released!
May 20, 2026
Narwhal made a full recovery and was released back into the Atlantic Ocean on May 20, 2026!