College of Marine Sciences & Maritime Studies

Texas A&M’s Gulf Center For Sea Turtle Research Rescues “Washback” Sea Turtles 

“Kemps Ridley Hatchling” by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters

Although sea turtle nesting season has come to a close, the team at the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research at Texas A&M University at Galveston continues their work, responding to sea turtles in distress year-round. Over the last few weeks, the center has responded to multiple “washbacks,” which is not one species of sea turtle, but a term for vulnerable young sea turtles that recently hatched, emerged from their nests and made their way into the ocean, often many miles offshore, only to end up stranded on a beach. 

This phenomenon happens every year along the Gulf coast and can happen to any species of sea turtle. Strong winds, currents and storms can push the young sea turtles back to the shore, away from their homes in mats of sargassum. Sargassum is a type of seaweed that doesn’t connect to the ocean floor, but instead floats along the surface, providing food, camouflage and shelter for the sea turtles’ first few years in the ocean. Sargassum plays a crucial role in the health of marine ecosystems, supporting sea turtles and other marine life, including crabs, fish and seabirds, and nourishing beaches and shorelines, including those in Galveston. 

But when the young sea turtles get washed ashore and out of the relative safety of the sargassum, it can be deadly. The Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research (GCSTR) steps in, rescuing and rehabilitating the tiny turtles, often measuring no bigger than a half dollar.

“Washbacks are often exhausted, dehydrated, malnourished or injured, making them highly susceptible to predators like birds, crabs and fish,” said Theresa Morris, the GCSTR’s program coordinator and sea turtle rehabilitation hospital manager. “Public awareness is often critical to their survival. When beachgoers call washback sea turtles into the Texas Turtle Hotline, our team can take appropriate action and provide proper care and rehabilitation to ensure as many as possible make it back to their homes in the ocean.”

If you find a sea turtle stranded or otherwise in distress, call the Texas Turtle Hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5. This line is the designated number for reporting stranded, injured, nesting or entangled sea turtles on the Texas coast, and is answered 24/7, 365 days of the year by the GCSTR team. Please remember that sea turtles are protected by law, and you should not handle a sea turtle without proper authorization. 

GCSTR’s mission is to facilitate research activities at all organizational levels, from molecular to population and ecosystem levels, that will ultimately result in restoration of sea turtle populations. To help support GCSTR, visit the center’s website for giving and volunteer opportunities.