06/19/2026
We would like to thank the public and everyone for their reports of sea turtles washing up among sargassum just south of Mustang Island!
The Amos Rehabilitation Keep - ARK at UT Marine Science Institute, Texas Sealife Center, and Nueces County Coastal Parks have been surveying and assessing this situation at this location every night for the past several nights and have rescued/documented over 100 turtles so far. Surveys and response will continue until we see a definitive end to this event.
We are also coordinating with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and NOAA.
In these situations, we would request the public to call the 24/7 1-866-TURTLE-5 hotline so that these turtles can be documented and responders can assess the health and conditions of these animals prior to release.
Green Sea Turtles at this life stage are using the sargassum as a food source and also resting in this area which is what causes some of them to become pushed up on shore by waves and winds and then can become in need of rescue once on shore as they become subject to predation, being run over by vehicles, and entrapment in the sargassum where they are unable to return to the water.
