GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — Hundreds of cold-stunned green sea turtles have survived after being rescued from Texas bays and estuaries during wintry weather since late November.
A research fishery biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Galveston on Tuesday said most of the creatures were found in the Corpus Christi area.
Lyndsey Howell says researchers began the turtle count Nov. 25 when cold conditions reached coastal Texas. Howell says since then 1,174 green sea turtles were located but 279 died.
She says the Upper Laguna Madre and the Corpus Christi area have growing turtle populations and that's where cold weather was the worst.
The Beaumont Enterprise (http://bit.ly/1liQPXD ) reported Monday that about 20 turtles were rescued from the Galveston area.
Howell says green sea turtles take about 30 years to reach maturity.
Information from: The Beaumont Enterprise, http://beaumontenterprise.com