Galveston Researchers Are Championing These Turtles’ Return From the Brink

For Dr. Christopher Marshall, it’s an incredible sight to see: baby Kemp’s ridley sea turtles in their natural habitat. At the Department of Marine Biology in the College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies in Galveston, he and a team at the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research lead conservation efforts on the upper Texas coast for the species, which is the world’s smallest sea turtle found primarily in the Gulf of Mexico.

Footage from a 1947 video showed tens of thousands of females nesting on a beach in Mexico, but by the 1980s, the species faced near extinction due to poaching and fishery interactions. Though still critically endangered today, new laws and targeted conservation efforts by institutes like the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research are making a difference. Marshall said the team’s work is especially important during nesting season from April to July.
 

“We have a cadre of students and volunteers who help us patrol beaches to protect sea turtles and move nests to safe locations. We also rescue turtles that are stranded due to sickness, cold weather or fishing nets,” he said. The team’s current rehabilitation facility has cared for hundreds of sea turtles including Kemp’s ridleys, but growing needs are outpacing the space.  

To rectify that, plans are in place for a new Upper Texas Coast Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital and Educational Outreach Center that will increase capacity. The facility will include a veterinary clinic, resident turtle tanks and two hospital wards with biological life support systems to treat injured and sick turtles. An outreach and educational center will welcome visitors, provide sea turtle viewing spaces, and generate revenue to sustain research and conservation efforts.

Lead donor Cheryl Mellenthin, who runs a spay and neuter assistance program and animal rescue in Cat Spring, Texas, has been an advocate for the new hospital, committing more than $2 million toward the effort. “The visitor aspect will create such a special opportunity for tourists and residents alike,” she said. “It’s going to raise tremendous awareness for the turtles.”