OCEAN CITY, Md. - On Thursday morning, National Aquarium staff released nine sea turtles back into the ocean on 40th Street in Ocean City after over six months of care and rehabilitation.
Aquarium staff shared that the turtles were rescued in December of 2025 from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, during an annual cold-stunned event where the turtles travel up the Gulf Stream in search of food in the Cape Cod Bay.
The nine turtles are part of a group of 40 that were rescued by staff in Massachusetts before being taken in and transported for long-term rehabilitation and care.
Aquarium staff says this year's release was much later than it typically is due to the colder-than-normal conditions the entire East Coast experienced this winter. They even shared that one of the turtles received a special escort in a larger box due to having grown much more than the other turtles after being under Aquarium staff care for an extended period.
After a naming contest, the National Aquarium says all of the turtles were named after the Baltimore city neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Cherry Hill, Fells Point, Glen, Hamilton, Lakeland, Little Italy, Mount Vernon, and St. Paul.
Margot Madden, Animal Rescue Manager with the National Aquarium, says the previously mentioned cold-stunned phenomenon is part of what makes this entire process so special.
"Unfortunately, this is an annual event, and it could be fatal," Madden says. "It does have increasing numbers over the years, it could be a couple hundred to a thousand annually, which is a really good chunk of their population."
Madden says while releases are a sliver of their job, it's a very rewarding part.
"It's so wonderful to be able to see an animal debilitated work its way through the rehab process, to be able to return back to being able to be at home," Madden tells CoastTV. "It's really hard not to get attached to these animals. Especially when you're taking care of something that's sick. You always just wish the best for them."
Thursday's release comes a year after two sea turtles, Icky and Mothman, were released into the Ocean City waters in June of 2025.
Additionally, in Lewes this April, a gray seal pup was rescued after being tangled in debris at Cape Henlopen State Park. After initial care, the seal was transferred to the same National Aquarium’s triage center in Ocean City for additional treatment and monitoring.
Spectators like Jeff Watt say the chance to get up close to the turtles Thursday morning was unforgettable.
"Really amazing, so cool to think about it. The aquarium doing great work outside of turtles. Right? With all the ocean life that they help manage," says Watt. "We've seen them at the aquarium, you know, when they're swimming behind glass, but seeing them out in nature and actually going into the water, yeah, that was really special."
Just months ago, they washed ashore fighting for survival. Now, these sea turtles slipped back beneath the waves, carrying with them a second chance and a reminder that every rescue can change the tide.
