Rescued seahorse released into the wild in Florida

Rescued seahorse released into the wild in Florida
This file photo made available by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium shows rescued seahorse "Frito" in a tank at the aquarium, Sunday, June 10, 2018, in Clearwater, Fla. The female seahorse was found tangled in fishing line by a woman snorkeling in the Gulf of Mexico. The aquarium will release the tiny creature back to the Gulf once it makes a full recovery. (Clearwater Marine Aquarium via AP, File)

Swim free, Frito the tiny seahorse.

The inch-and-half long creature that was found wrapped in a discarded fishing line amidst some floating garbage in the Gulf of Mexico was released into the wild Thursday.

Frito, a female , was found by a snorkeler off the beach in Florida on Sunday. The seahorse had fishing line wrapped around her neck.

The snorkeler scooped her into a water bottle and brought her to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where she was nursed back to health and named after the ubiquitous snack food. Previously rescued seahorses at the include Cheeto and Funyun.

Aquarium spokesman Bill Potts said Frito was put in a small portable aquarium and released Thursday in a "lush seagrass bed" close to the Gulf of Mexico near a barrier island in the intracoastal waterway.

"The perfect place for her," wrote Potts in an email.

While the aquarium has had a blast in showcasing Frito and her release, there's a serious message: experts frequently see marine life of all sizes injured by discarded floating in the Gulf.

Rescued seahorse released into the wild in Florida
This file image from video made available by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium shows a seahorse in a tank at the aquarium, Monday, June 11, 2018, in Clearwater, Fla. The inch-and-half long creature that was found wrapped in a discarded fishing line amidst some floating garbage in the Gulf of Mexico was released into the wild Thursday. (Clearwater Marine Aquarium via AP, File)

© 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Citation: Rescued seahorse released into the wild in Florida (2018, June 15) retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2018-06-seahorse-wild-florida.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

A seahorse named Frito is on the mend in Florida

6 shares

Feedback to editors