What would make the gulf coast better??? Giant ass tar balls!

Ellory was found floating in the ocean by some fishermen. She had a old hook injury and some buoyancy issues. After much care, she was released back into the big blue.

Fred was tangled in fishing line and lost one of his front flippers. He never quite got the hang of swimming with only three flippers, so he will spend his days being cared for by the good people at Sea Turtle Inc.

The increasing levels of plastic and other pollution is a problem for all marine life. In fact, it is estimated that the level of plastic particles in the worlds ocean is six times greater then then the levels of plankton!! This is a photograph of a stranded green turtle who had to have plastic bags removed from its digestive track. Sea turtles often mistake grocery bags and other trash for food.

Two Hooks was accidentally caught by some fishermen at Padre Island National Seashore. The fishermen did the right thing and notified park staff. Their actions allowed for the good people at the Animal Rehabilitation Keep in Port Aransas to rehabilitate and release him back into the ocean.

Xcaret is an eco-amusement park that has a captive sea turtle breeding program. The release of captive bred or head-started sea turtles is not recommended because it could have negative effects on wild populations.

One of the non-releasable green sea turtles living at the Texas State Aquarium.