Rescuing the Ridley

“The Kemp’s ridley is the most critically endangered sea turtle in the world,” explained Dr. Christopher Marshall, a Texas A&M University at Galveston marine biology professor. “It nearly went extinct in the 1980s when biologists thought that only 700 nests were laid throughout the entire Gulf. For perspective, footage taken in Mexico in the 1940s documented 40,000 ridley turtles nesting in one day.”

A concerted effort during the last 40 years has pulled this species from the brink of extinction, but conservation efforts to save this turtle are still more important than ever.
 

The proposed 24,000-square-foot facility will provide medical help to ill and injured turtles with a separate ward for turtles with FP, a tumor disease. With seven million tourists flocking to Galveston annually, the center's open-to-the-public educational outreach component will generate revenue for the hospital and turtle conservation programs, allowing it to be self-sustaining. Visitors will observe turtles through viewing galleries as they’re examined by veterinarians, students and interns.

“It will be rewarding to bring that educational outreach opportunity to campus,” Marshall said. “It really fulfills our teaching and research missions.”

Need for such a facility became even more pressing due to the planned closing of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Galveston laboratory that previously tended to the turtles. In the meantime, Texas A&M-Galveston has converted a campus wetlands facility into a short-term hospital to tend to the turtles and partners with the Houston Zoo for veterinary services.
 

“We had a sea turtle wash up once with a trash can and lid entangled around his flipper,” said marine biologist Theresa Morris ’10 ’13, who oversees Texas A&M-Galveston’s short-term hospital and will later manage the planned hospital. “To start, only one in 1,000 eggs survive to adulthood. They are susceptible to ants, fungus, racoons, armadillos and coyotes. If they hatch, they fall prey to birds and snakes. People walk and drive on them in the dunes. They also face challenges due to sea level rise, climate change and loss of beach habitat.”

When hatchlings make it to sea, they float on mats of sargassum seaweed, hiding and dining on other small sea creatures. They ingest small plastics there, too, mistaking it for food. As they grow, the dangers range from discarded fishing nets and boat strikes to natural marine predators and rapid drops in temperature, which can cause hypothermia.  

Marine biologist Kari Howard ’07, coordinator for the sea turtle hotline, data management and volunteer response team of the Texas Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network for the Upper Texas Coast, said assessing each stranded turtle helps craft a message to the community. “It helps change behavior. If we see high incidences of monofilament fishing line, for example, where turtles are tangled in it or ingest it, we can let the community know. People love sea turtles and, with more education, everyone can play a role in protecting them.”

These measures, combined with the future hospital, are a monumental step in rebuilding the state’s sea turtle population and saving the Kemp’s ridley, whose ancestors survived the extinction of the dinosaurs. “They are the models of perseverance and resilience,” Marshall said. “If people become fascinated with sea turtles, they might become fascinated with oceans and start taking care of our marine environment. That’s good for everybody.”
 

Marine biologist Kari Howard ’07, coordinator for the sea turtle hotline, data management and volunteer response team of the Texas Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network for the Upper Texas Coast, said assessing each stranded turtle helps craft a message to the community. “It helps change behavior. If we see high incidences of monofilament fishing line, for example, where turtles are tangled in it or ingest it, we can let the community know. People love sea turtles and, with more education, everyone can play a role in protecting them.”

These measures, combined with the future hospital, are a monumental step in rebuilding the state’s sea turtle population and saving the Kemp’s ridley, whose ancestors survived the extinction of the dinosaurs. “They are the models of perseverance and resilience,” Marshall said. “If people become fascinated with sea turtles, they might become fascinated with oceans and start taking care of our marine environment. That’s good for everybody.”