One big factor on the Texas coast is the shrimping nets. The turtles can't get out if shrimpers aren't using the turtle excluder devices. That's not a particularly unusual problem. Most of the stranded turtles have been found during shrimping season, Shaver said. Shore said the governor's office needs to create a marine reserve along Padre Island to protect the area from shrimping.
Sea turtles are on the brink of extinction.
One big storm or one big oil spill could wipe out the entire population of Kemp's ridleys. However, Linda Edwards, a spokeswoman at the governor's office, said the state has taken aggressive action to enforce the turtle protection laws. Shortly before the season opened, Gov. George W. Bush ordered 65 Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens to work with National Marine Fisheries Service agents and the Coast Guard to enforce the use of turtle excluder devices in shrimp nets. The number of turtle nesting sites has increased 50 percent since 1997, Edwards said. At this point, because we're seeing an increase in the number of turtle nests, the aggressive steps are having the desired impact.