The majority of Kemp’s ridley nesting occurs on the beaches of the western Gulf of Mexico and ninety-five percent of worldwide Kemp’s ridley nesting occurs in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. The unexpected change in Kemp’s ridley nesting highlights the importance of continued protection, monitoring, and conservation efforts. However, in 2010 this rapid increase abruptly ended and the number of nests has fluctuated since then. The number of nests increased about 15 percent each year through 2009. Due to intensive conservation actions, the Kemp's ridley began to slowly rebound during the 1990s. The number of nests reached a record low of 702 in 1985, representing fewer than 250 nesting females. This nesting population experienced a devastating decline between the late 1940s and the mid-1980s. An amateur video from 1947 documented tens of thousands of Kemp’s ridleys nesting near Rancho Nuevo, Mexico on a single day. Prior to the mid-20th century, the Kemp's ridley was abundant in the Gulf of Mexico. The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. And we fund research, monitoring, and conservation projects to implement priorities outlined in recovery plans. We engage our partners as we develop measures and recovery plans that foster the conservation and recovery of Kemp’s ridleys and their habitats. We use a variety of innovative techniques to study, protect, and recover this endangered species. NOAA Fisheries and our partners are dedicated to protecting and recovering the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. Bycatch in commercial and recreational fishing gear continues to be the biggest threat facing Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. Intensive conservation actions were implemented on nesting beaches and through fisheries management. The population crashed in the mid-20th century to a low of only several hundred females nesting in the 1980s. Kemp’s ridley were once abundant in the Gulf of Mexico with tens of thousands of females nesting at Rancho Nuevo, Mexico. They are primarily found in the Gulf of Mexico, but juveniles are also found in the Atlantic Ocean as far north as Nova Scotia and sometimes even occur in the eastern North Atlantic.

Kemp, a fisherman from Key West, Florida, who first submitted the species for identification in 1906. Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are the smallest sea turtle in the world.

Prey of sea turtles