NOAA Fisheries plans to release the 1,000th green sea turtle it has rescued and rehabilitated in the Hawaiian isles back into the ocean today.

The sea turtle, a male, is set to be released at 1 p.m. at Tavares Beach on Maui, according to NOAA Fisheries.

The turtle was stranded on a beach on Maui with injuries resulting from fishing line entanglement. The Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute rescued him and shipped him to the NOAA Inouye Regional Center in Honolulu, where his damaged front flipper was amputated.

For more than 30 years, NOAA Fisheries has been responding to dead or injured sea turtles, while collecting important information about population threats and impacts. Green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) remain protected by both state and federal laws.

NOAA has a new statewide hotline to field sightings or emergencies for sea turtles, monk seals, dolphins and whales: 888-256-9840 and email: RespectWildlife@noaa.gov.