Rescued tiny turtle named after Hurricane Ian released off Key West

KEY WEST, Fla. — A rescued juvenile green sea turtle named after Hurricane Ian was released Saturday in Gulf Stream waters off Key West.

Experts from the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital and members of a powerboat racing team vying for the sport’s world championship released “Ian”.

Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital/powerboat racing team

The little turtle was found buried in seaweed by a family cleaning up a boat ramp after Hurricane Ian’s tropical storm-force winds brushed Key West on Sept. 29.

Tiny Ian was transported to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, where it was treated with fluids and diet and nursed back to health.

According to Bette Zirkelbach, Turtle Hospital’s manager, Ian and 14 other young sea turtles were all released Saturday into a sargassum weed line about 20 miles off Key West in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.