Aquarium of the Pacific opens Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center in Long Beach

The Aquarium of the Pacific on Friday opened a dedicated Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center to house and treat injured sea turtles and to showcase rehabilitation work to the public. An unidentified host welcomed attendees and said the center will focus on conserving endangered species and providing rehabilitation services that previously took place behind the scenes.

A staff member identified as S2 said the aquarium has rehabilitated sea turtles for about 26 years but that those efforts were previously done in nonpublic holding areas. S2 said the new space prevents interference with other animals and projects and will allow the aquarium to accept rescue calls more readily and to demonstrate conservation work to visitors.

Another speaker, S3, described a specific turtle that has been at the aquarium since March. S3 said the animal arrived with fishing line tightly wrapped around its right fore flipper, which restricted blood flow and required amputation; a hook had lodged in the turtle’s throat. S3 said the turtle has made “a lot of recovery” and is “weeks away” from being able to return to the wild.

S2 and S3 emphasized that turtles can lose flippers due to predator attacks or birth deformities and adapt their behavior to survive. Speaker 4 advised the public that there is a hotline to report distressed or entangled turtles and urged people to clean up local areas because litter can flow into river systems and cause entanglements.

The aquarium provided its website, aquariumofpacific.org, as a resource for more information on its rehabilitation efforts. The center’s staff said the rehabilitation area will serve both operational needs—allowing quicker rescue responses—and educational purposes as an ambassador for sea turtle conservation.

The aquarium did not specify funding sources, operating budget, or long-term release protocols beyond stating that rehabilitated animals will be returned to their natural habitat when healthy.