Sea Turtle Rescues Along the Texas Coast

While most of you were opening presents on Christmas Day, we had the fun of rescuing stunned sea turtles up and down the Texas Coast.

- Captain Jeff Larson

We worked alongside the Mid-Coast Sea Turtle Rescue Response Team (https://midcoast-tmn.org/turtle-rescuerecovery/).

Mother Nature was pushing her cold breath down our necks for days leading into the Christmas season. Christmas day and the days after were a critical time for the federally protected mammals. Sea turtles are cold-blooded, meaning that they cannot regulate their body temperature. As water temperatures decrease, so do sea turtle's body temperatures. When the water temperature drops to a critical point, sea turtles become lethargic, float to the surface, and often wash ashore. If they are not rescued and warmed up, they can die from hypothermia.

In 2021, there was the largest sea turtle rescue ever during a winter freeze, where around 5,000 sea turtles were rescued from freezing in Texas.

Volunteer properly handling turtle and removing from the freezing waters and transferring into the boat, so they could be transported to rehabilitation centers.

Along the Middle and Lower Texas Coast we really need to -pay attention to the lower-than-normal tides. Airboats are the most advantageous and critical pieces of machinery a rescuer can have to get close to the turtles. These vessels are worth their weight in gold when you can position your airboat right next to a 100-pounder. The little turtles are so cute, and everyone wants them for pets, but you cannot, because of the strict laws protecting them.

There is a program and class you must attend to be on the “permit to handle wild sea turtles” list. Years past, when some of us went out to rescue sea turtles, we handled them the best we knew how, piling in a ton of them in my bay boat. Big no-no. None the less, they were saved.