Cold Stunned Turtle Update 1/09/2017

Via Dr. Donna Shaver

UPDATE: Yesterday, an estimated 227 cold stunned turtles were found in Texas, including 1 in Galveston Bay, 1 on Padre Island National Seashore Gulf Beach, 65 in the Upper Laguna Madre/Corpus Christi Bay area, and an estimated 160 in the Lower Laguna Madre/Boca Chica Beach area. An exact tally will be provided when all forms are received.

Water temperatures are still cold, so searches will continue today. However, warm air temperatures are predicted for the rest of the week.

The numbers of cold stunned sea turtles found to date during the 2016-2017 cold stunning season in Texas are as follows:

All were green turtles.

Thank you to staff and volunteers from the National Park Service, ARK, Sea Turtle, Inc., Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Sea World San Antonio, NOAA-Fisheries, Texas Sea Life Center, Texas Master Naturalists, Gladys Porter Zoo, University of Texas, Texas State Aquarium, other organizations, and private citizens for their help to find, document, rehabilitate, and release cold stunned turtles on the Texas coast this year.