About the Center    

The Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research was created to address the data gaps and research needs to conserve sea turtles in Texas, the western Gulf and throughout the Gulf of Mexico. The Center seeks to organize sea turtle biologists in the region and speak with one voice to attract attention, and funding, for sea turtle research activities and conservation priorities that will protect sea turtle populations and their vital habitats from the beaches to the ocean. The Center’s purpose is to create collaborative relationships with other sea turtle researchers, and sea turtle research entities across the Gulf of Mexico and to positively benefit undergraduate students, graduate students, early career scientists, as well as the citizens of Texas. It is a partnership of Texas A&M University, the National Park Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 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, who will contribute to finding solutions to the threats that sea turtles face today.

Our Vision

Texas and the western Gulf of Mexico currently lacks the research, monitoring and conservation capacity that is being conducted in other regions of the Gulf of Mexico. The vision of the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research is to expand the current research capacity in the western Gulf of Mexico to match other regions of the Gulf of Mexico and to provide a focal point of expertise in the state and across the Gulf of Mexico.