A protected leatherback sea turtle that died at the Miami Seaquarium from injuries suffered in a collision with a boat had some of its meat turned into stew and eaten by the facility's workers, a state investigation said.

No charges were filed for the incident because the Seaquarium's permit to handle endangered species didn't specifically say how dead animals were to be disposed of, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Lt. John D. West said.

Two workers, Dr. Maya Dougherty, the veterinarian who conducted the necropsy, and Chris Plante, the animal care supervisor, had letters put in their personnel files saying they used poor judgment for allowing the action, Seaquarium officials said.

"This is the absolute height of stupidity," said Dolphin Freedom Foundation and Seaquarium critic Russ Rector, who just recently learned of the April 2000 incident. "We're changing the name to the Miami Seaquarium and Barbeque. Maybe they only love (animals) that taste good."

Seaquarium executive vice president Arthur Hertz issued a written statement saying that consumption of the body of an animal was against park policy and said immediate disciplinary action was taken when officials found out about the incident.

After the turtle died, a worker, identified in the investigation as "R. Stollmeyer," asked Dougherty if he could take home some meat for a stew, the report said. Both Dougherty and Plante agreed to let Stollmeyer have the meat.

Stollmeyer, a native of Trinidad and Tobago where turtle consumption is common, came into work the next day and shared the stew with several other employees, the investigation said.

Seaquarium general manager Robert Martinez later sent workers a memo warning them to properly dispose of animal carcasses or face disciplinary action or termination.

Leatherback turtles are one of the rarest sea turtles and are protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act.