Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ...An Endangered Species

The scarcity of Kemp’s ridleys about 20 years ago prompted efforts Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles to establish a protected nesting colony in the United States. From 1978-1989, an international experimental project ...An Endangered Species began with the intent to increase the number of Kemp’s ridley nesting on USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center Padre Island National Seashore. This ambitious Padre Island Field Research Station program had one grand Donna Shaver, PhD., Station Leader goal - the conservation 361.949.8173 x226 and recovery of this ancient sea species. [email protected] Eggs were airlifted from Rancho Nuevo, Mexico to http://www.cerc.usgs.gov/frs_webs/Padre/ south Texas, hatched in controlled conditions, then ollowing the Kemp’s ridley on hatchlings released along their perilous trek from south F the south Texas shore Texas, where efforts are underway to of the Gulf of Mexico. establish a secondary nesting colony, Scientists hoped that to the Gulf of Mexico, is tricky business. turtles would eventually Satellite transmitters are attached to a return to nest and establish select number of females returning to the a colony at Padre Island sea after laying eggs, their movements National Seashore where tracked by receivers picking up the protection and care are signals emitted from their backpacks. available. This signal tells the scientists where Now, some 10 to 15 the adults are feeding and resting after year old mature Kemp’s nesting. The transmitters can last up to ridley females are returning 18 months on their backs before failing or to the south Texas coast falling off. to nest, identified by their Recent information from the coded markings from transmitter/receiver data shows that the the hatching program females are hugging the Gulf of Mexico established 20 years ago. shoreline, staying in warmer, more shallow waters. In addition, autopsies of The first known female to return and Kemp’s ridleys washed onshore verify that these adults are primarily feeding nest was in 1996, hatched at Padre on crabs. Just knowing what areas of the Gulf coast that might need special Island National Seashore in 1983. protection is valuable information for wildlife authorities. Since 1996, eleven marked females nested on North Padre Island and Texas Mustang Island. Florida Gulf of Mexico Padre Island Stretches of beach along the Gulf of Mexico near Rancho Nuevo, Mexico, are the primary nesting sites for Kemp’s ridleys. Rancho Nuevo is located in the southern State of Tamaulipas. Prior to efforts Protecting Kemp’s ridleys is a Rancho Nuevo to establish a secondary nesting colony at Padre cooperative venture of the U.S. Island National Seashore, Texas, a few nested Geological Survey, National Park sporadically to the north and south of Rancho Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Nuevo, from Mustang Island, Texas, to the state of Service, National Marine Fisheries Veracruz, Mexico. Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife, National Park Foundation, National Known feeding grounds for adult Kemp’s ridley Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Shell, are in the Gulf of Mexico, including the crab-rich Unilever, SEMARNAT, and many other shallow waters off Texas, Louisiana, around the organizations. Mexico Mississippi Delta, and Tabasco-Campeche, Mexico. U.S. Department of the Interior July 2003 U.S. Geological Survey.

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