Sea turtle exhibits in aquariums serve dual purposes of public education and rehabilitation, with welfare standards varying between purely educational and rescue-release focused programs.
Sea turtles in captive settings are wide-ranging marine animals whose natural habitat spans ocean basins. Permanent captivity for displayable but releasable turtles is ethically questionable and most accredited facilities hold only non-releasable individuals. Welfare in rehabilitation settings requires careful attention to water quality, temperature, injury management, and preventing the learned helplessness associated with long captivity periods that can reduce survival after release. Education programming that uses resident turtles to build public support for ocean conservation can justify their captivity when combined with strong release programs for rehabilitated animals.