The GOMA Wildlife and Fisheries Team has a new Gulf Star project supporting diamondback terrapin education and outreach along the upper Texas coast. The Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF) is working with local blue crab fishers to reduce terrapin bycatch through education workshops and distribution of terrapin excluder devices. GBF is also increasing awareness of the need for terrapin conservation throughout the area with in-person appearances by a rescue terrapin named “Pear.”
This work was identified as a priority in soon-to-be released diamondback terrapin conservation action plan developed by The Nature Conservancy and Diamondback Terrapin Working Group with funding from Oxy through GOMA’s Gulf Star Program. The action plan will be published this fall.