NPS Photo

A Kemp's ridley returns to the Gulf of Mexico after only about 45 minutes of nesting. She will remain in her marine home until she returns to nest again.

Sea Turtle Nesting in Texas

All five sea turtle species that occur in the Gulf of Mexico have been documented nesting at Padre Island National Seashore in recent decades. Padre Island National Seashore is the only area in Texas where nests from all five species have been documented. Many more Kemp’s ridley sea turtle nests have been documented in Texas compared to the other sea turtle species.

How Sea Turtle Nests are Found

Sea turtle nests are found in Texas during directed searches (turtle patrols) and as a result of reports from others working or recreating on the beach. Sightings of nesting turtles, tracks that nesting turtles have left in the sand, hatchlings emerging from previously undetected nests, and eggshells at predated nests are all important leads in documenting nesting. 

Turtle patrols to detect and protect nesting sea turtles and sea turtle nests are now conducted on all Texas Gulf beaches to some extent from April through July. This encompasses the nesting season documented for Kemp’s ridley sea turtles in Texas to date. It also encompasses when most sea turtle nests are found and documented. However, a few nests are sometimes found in August and September and some areas also patrol then in hopes of finding additional nesting by Kemp’s ridleys and other sea turtles. Most patrols are conducted during daylight hours, since Kemp’s ridleys mostly nest mostly during the day. However, some Kemp’s ridleys nest at night and other sea turtle species typically nest at night. 

The National Park Service conducts the patrol program to detect, study, and protect nesting Kemp’s ridley sea turtles and sea turtle nests on North Padre Island, including Padre Island National Seashore. This program is made possible due to funding from the federal government, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and a variety of partners and donors, and the aid of over 100 volunteers. Repeated patrols are conducted daily from April through mid-July, from about 6:30 am – 6:30 pm. Turtle patrol coverage is greatly reduced at other times of the year.   

Nests Documented in 2009

The Padre Island National Seashore Chief of the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery maintains the records of sea turtle nests recorded in Texas. Numbers documented during 2009 are posted below.  

Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests documented on the Texas coast during 2009

*Follow this link to see a map along with pertinent data on the Kemp's ridley turtles found on the Texas cost.

Green sea turtle nests documented on the Texas coast during 2009

Sea turtle nests were documented in Texas through programs led by the following:

Animal Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) 

National Park Service, Padre Island National Seashore  

NOAA – Fisheries Laboratory at Galveston Texas

Sea Turtle Restoration Project

Sea Turtle, Inc.

Texas A&M University at Galveston

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Aransas NWR

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Lower Rio Grande NWR

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Laguna Atascosa NWR

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, San Bernard NWR

University of Texas, Pan American Coastal Studies Laboratory