Sea Turtles in Aransas County
Our activities keeping Aransas County beautiful involve helping to create and/or maintain habitat to sustain and perpetuate wildlife in their natural habitat. That habitat includes 10 bays in our county. Various creatures make their home in these waters, feeding and thriving.
Some of the most interesting and beautiful creatures to behold are various sea turtles in our bays. One of the most commonly seen are Green sea turtles - the vegetarians of the species found here - feeding on the various sea grasses and algae found in the bays, bights, coves, and bayous. Also found here are Loggerheads and Kemp’s Ridleys, with the occasional Hawksbill, all of which are omnivorous.
Training
Help us help endangered sea turtles. KACB sponsors a turtle team that rescues stranded and injured sea turtles and transports them to ARK in Port Aransas for rehabilitation. Training sessions are given by Zoom in the Spring and Fall. Participants must attend training sessions in order to be included on the state and federal permits and must be at least 18.
Contact [email protected] for more information
Next Turtle Training
- Sea Turtle Cold Stunned Lecture and Training – Session 1
Date: 19 October 2024 (Saturday)
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Link: https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/00ee1b80-2dbd-44ec-947d-dd0760cbfb5d@0693b5ba-4b18-4d7b-9341-f32f400a5494 - Sea Turtle Cold Stunned Lecture and Training – Session 2
Date: 30 October 2024 (Wednesday)
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Link: https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/00ee1b80-2dbd-44ec-947d-dd0760cbfb5d@0693b5ba-4b18-4d7b-9341-f32f400a5494
KACB has initiated a sea turtle rescue and recovery team to improve the survival of affected sea turtles, effecting rescues on short notice in our area. To aid in massive cold weather stunning events we have a specialized enclosed, climate controlled trailer in which to collect and transport these turtles to rehabilitation facilities. This trailer has also been utilized to relay turtles from other Coastal Bend areas to and from rehab centers. As many as 110 turtles have been transported at one time in this trailer.
Sea turtles are all endangered or threatened species, with the Kemp’s Ridley being critically endangered. As such, it behooves us to help when we find these amazing creatures stranded, ill, or injured. Boat strikes, fishing gear entanglement, and illnesses have been experienced throughout our bay systems.
The single most threatening issue to sea turtles in our bays are the infrequent freezing periods experienced two or three times every year. Water temperatures below 46.8° F will render sea turtles unable to survive very long. From 50° on down, they become listless, sluggish, disoriented, unable to swim, and eventually unable to hold their heads above water.
We welcome interested volunteers to participate in our sea turtle efforts. Annual training is required to be listed on the State and Federal Permits allowing handling of these endangered species. Participating in these rescues tends to be a most gratifying experience to those who have been involved.
