NOAA’ s Sea Turtle Week is June 15–19, 2026. Swimming in Earth’s oceans for tens of millions of years, sea turtles lead incredible lives. They migrate across oceans and survive for many decades at sea. They can travel hundreds or even thousands of miles in search of food. Females eventually return to the beaches where they were born to nest.
As key parts of marine ecosystems worldwide, sea turtles face many threats. Six sea turtle species are found in U.S. waters and all are threatened or endangered. During Sea Turtle Week, we're highlighting these marine reptiles and our work to conserve them.
Take a dive into our sea turtle features and videos below. Follow us on social media to see how NOAA conserves and recovers sea turtle populations and how you can help, too.
Sea Turtle Features
Sea Turtle Week 2026: Message from the Director
A message from Kim Damon-Randall, director of NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, for Sea Turtle Week, June 15–19, 2026.
Read her leadership message on Sea Turtle Week 2026
Cold Snaps and Stunned Sea Turtles
Sea turtle are cold-blooded reptiles that depend on the temperature of their surroundings to maintain their body temperature. Sea turtles can normally control their body temperatures by moving between areas of water with different temperatures or basking in the sun at the water’s surface or on the beach. However, when temperatures rapidly decline and sea turtles are cut off from moving to warmer waters, they can suffer from a form of hypothermia we call cold stunning.
Learn how NOAA cares for cold-stunned sea turtles
Rescuing Cold Stunned Sea Turtles in St. Joseph Bay, Florida
An arctic air mass surged into Florida in late January and early February 2026, producing a historic cold snap. This intense bout of winter weather proved dangerous for sea turtles in the panhandle, where cold stunning is common. Turtles can become cold stunned when water temperatures fall below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. NOAA Fisheries worked with several partners to rescue more than 600 turtles from St. Joseph Bay this winter and bring them to rehabilitation facilities to be nursed back to health.
Rescuing cold stunned sea turtles in St. Joseph Bay, Florida
Texas Restoration Project Aids in Recent Sea Turtle Rescue
In January 2026, rescuers saved more than a thousand cold-stunned sea turtles along the Texas coast, thanks in part to funding provided by the Sea Turtle Early Restoration Project. This project, which is funded with Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment settlement funds, supports rescue and response efforts for stranded sea turtles along the Texas coast. Cold-stunning is a major natural threat to sea turtles in Texas, and there have been severe events in recent years.
How a Texas restoration project is aiding recent sea turtle rescue
Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles Make Holiday Trip South for Rehabilitation and Release
Holiday travel comes with delays, heavy traffic, overbooked flights and other complications — but for 12 cold-stunned sea turtles, the timing was just right to fly south after an upgrade from standby status. The Kemp’s ridley sea turtles hitched a ride in December 2025 aboard a NOAA Twin Otter aircraft relocating from Falmouth, Massachusetts, after an endangered-species survey mission. Two Florida aquariums stood ready to rehabilitate the chilled reptiles that had been residing at an aquarium in Boston.
Find out more about these cold-stunned sea turtles’ rehabilitation and release
Papahānaumokuākea: 2025 Monk Seal and Sea Turtle Field Season Highlights
From drone-assisted surveys to interisland rescues, the 2025 season brought new insights and conservation wins in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Check out the season’s photo highlights.
Gearing Up: Turtle Excluder Devices Strengthen Fisheries and Help Recover Sea Turtle Populations
Since 1987, turtle excluder devices have protected sea turtles from getting accidentally caught in trawl nets. NOAA scientists and fishermen are working together to make TED designs even more effective, helping some sea turtle populations to rebound while continuing to provide economic opportunities.
Find out how turtle exclude devices strengthen fisheries and help recover sea turtle populations
Small Modifications to Turtle Excluder Devices Have Big Impacts for Gulf Sea Turtles
A recently completed restoration project finds that modifications to the bar spacing on turtle excluder devices can successfully exclude small turtles while maintaining shrimp catch.
Learn more about the restoration project
Most Sea Turtles Rebounding Worldwide as Conservation Efforts Protect Nests and Habitat, Analysis Finds
Once decimated by overhunting and habitat loss, sea turtles have persevered with new protections and conservation efforts. Their populations are now rebounding even as oceans change, a new review has found.
Learn more about the status of sea turtles around the world
Conserving Long-Lived Species: The Importance of Monitoring Decades-Old Individuals
Long-lived, slow-growing species can be indicators of the health of marine ecosystems. Their behavior can offer insights into environmental changes or stressors. Based on 52 years of research on nesting Hawaiian green sea turtles, we know they can live 70 years or more. Long-term monitoring of sea turtle nesting trends is critical to track their threatened population status, trends, and recovery.
More about Hawaiian green sea turtles and other long-lived species
Sea Turtles: Did You Know?
Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle: In the Spotlight
The Pacific leatherback turtle is one of NOAA Fisheries’ “Species in the Spotlight.” While some sea turtle populations are increasing after decades of sustained conservation efforts, Pacific leatherbacks continue to face many challenges to recovery. For this highly at-risk species, we are taking immediate, targeted actions to stabilize populations and prevent extinction.
More about Pacific leatherback sea turtles
Sea Turtle Videos
Go Slow, Sea Turtles Below
See how Brian Stacy, a veterinarian who works with the National Sea Turtle Program, examines sea turtle health, welfare, and mortality. Part of his work involves investigating causes of sea turtle strandings, which are often caused by vessel strikes.
Species in the Spotlight: Pacific Leatherback Turtle
Critically low populations of Pacific Leatherback sea turtles have put them in the spotlight for increased aid and attention. These sea turtles suffer from many threats. Find out what NOAA is doing and what you can do to help recover them.
7 Sea Turtle Facts for the Ocean Lover
Sea turtles are fascinating creatures. Learn some facts about these much-loved marine reptiles.
