1st sea turtle hatchlings evacuated from Gulf oil released into Atlantic

1st turtle hatchlings in Gulf oil now in Atlantic

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The first sea turtle hatchlings whose eggs were evacuated from the Gulf Coast oil spill to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center have been released into the Atlantic Ocean.

Biologist Jane Provancha says the newborn Kemp’s ridley sea turtles did well after their release.

About 700 sea turtle nests — each containing about 100 eggs — are being trucked from oiled shores along the Gulf to Cape Canaveral, where they’re kept at a climate-controlled facility. The turtles are being released into the Atlantic as they hatch.

Scientists feared that a generation of the imperiled species would die if they hatched and swam into the oil.

Information from: Florida Today, www.floridatoday.com