Mission, Scope & Activities    

The mission of the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research is to facilitate research activities on sea turtles at all organizational levels, from molecular to population and ecosystem levels, that will ultimately result in restoration of sea turtle populations and the protection vital sea turtle habitats. The Center aims to develop a thriving community of researchers focused on sea turtle biology that reaches across the Gulf of Mexico and fosters a culture of collegiality and scholarly effort. 

This will be accomplished by:

1. Establishing a consortium of researchers to compete for sea turtle funding

The Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research will promote collaborations among sea turtle biologists throughout the Gulf to create a consortium of sea turtle biologists with the intent to submit multidisciplinary research proposals that would otherwise not be possible on an individual basis. Various new mechanisms funding sources presents an unprecedented opportunity to further sea turtle research, monitoring and conservation in the Gulf of Mexico that will fill the gaps in our knowledge-base. Such data will contribute to finding solutions to the threats that sea turtles face and be used to inform sea turtle managers working to restore sea turtle populations.

2. Promoting and establishing regional research priorities on the biology of sea turtles

Sea turtle research will be promoted at all organizational levels, from molecular to population and ecosystem levels. Working with Texas A&M and Texas state agencies, federal agencies, international government and academic entities, the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research will foster an interdisciplinary and international approach to solving current issues of sea turtle biology and their conservation. Limited funding requires that the Gulf of Mexico sea turtle research community set priorities for work that will be most beneficial for restoring sea turtle populations. Many of these priorities may focus on collecting data to update recovery plans for the region. This will be accomplished by a committee of members that will create a white paper that will be reported at the biennial meeting after responding to feedback and then disseminated through the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research website and social media sites. The Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research will serve as a platform that will attract scientists from academia, industry, state and federal agencies, as well as internationally. The Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research will steward collaborative relationships with other sea turtle researchers, and sea turtle research and conservation entities across the Gulf of Mexico and wherever sea turtles can be found.

3. Facilitating communication among disparate sea turtle research groups in the region

The Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research will be used as a mechanism to enhance and facilitate communication among sea turtle biologists across the Gulf of Mexico. This will be accomplished through biennial meetings to communicate research findings, create forums for discussions to reach a consensus on research priorities, exchange ideas regarding the community’s position on policy and decision-making in the region, organize groups for larger consortium funding opportunities and conduct workshops. Meetings will promote the communication of these topics to the academic, management, industry and conservation entities throughout the Gulf of Mexico because representatives of these various groups will be collaborators of the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research.

4. Promoting the training of sea turtle biologists of the future

The study of sea turtles and their conservation is a long-term commitment. These marine animals are long-lived, grow slow and only reach reproductive age after several decades. Currently the region lacks the human resource capacity to conduct such long-term research. A critical component of the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research will be to promote the training of new scientists that will contribute to the research and conservation of sea turtles regionally and globally. During the biennial meetings the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research will organize and facilitate training workshops for students, early career scientists and even established sea turtle biologists on the newest methods and technology in the field.