For injured sea turtles like three-flippered 'Porkchop,' Aquarium of the Pacific has doubled its care space

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A hunk of romaine was easy pickings for Porkchop and her three flippers.On a rainy day last week, the green sea turtle pumped her limbs and stretched her beak up to chomp a lettuce leaf floating on the surface of a tank at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.

That’s where she’s been on the mend since early March, when she arrived with a hook lodged in her throat and a flipper that was mostly dead from fishing line that had choked off circulation.The 85-pound turtle earned her nickname from aquarium staffers when she quickly began eating after having her flipper amputated, and her enthusiasm for grub hasn’t waned.“She looks really good for what I can see through the window,” said Dr.

Lance Adams, director of veterinary services for the aquarium, observing her through a viewing portal.“She’s maybe a little less graceful, but not substantially so.”Starting Wednesday, aquarium visitors will be able to see Porkchop — and other sea turtles — be rehabilitated with the opening of a new area that includes a roughly 4,000-gallon pool.

The aquarium has been caring for ailing sea turtles for more than a quarter of a century, but this is the first time the public will be able to see the work in action.Staffers often help turtles that have swallowed plastic, been struck by boats, gotten stuck in areas they can’t get out of, or, like Porkchop, become entangled in fishing gear.“The aquarium has a stellar reputation for being a community center [and a place] to bring children for education and learning,” aquarium President and Chief Executive Jeffrey Flocken said.

“But one of the things I’d love to have people understand more is the great conservation work that we’re doing behind the scenes.” Porkchop will spend only a short time in the spotlight.Soon, she’ll be released back into the San Gabriel River, where she was found and where a population of he...