National Marine Fisheries Service
06/04/2026 | News release | Archived content
Rescuing Cold Stunned Sea Turtles in St Joseph Bay, Florida
An arctic airmass surged into Florida in late January and early February 2026, producing a historic cold snap. This intense bout of winter weather proved dangerous for sea turtles in the panhandle, where cold stunning is common. Turtles can become cold stunned when water temperatures fall below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. NOAA Fisheries worked with several partners to rescue more than 600 turtles from St. Joseph Bay this winter and bring them to rehabilitation facilities to be nursed back to health.
National Marine Fisheries Service published this content on June 04, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on June 14, 2026 at 14:31 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]