The Kemp's ridley sea turtle is the most critically endangered sea turtle in the world. Just 50 years ago, at least 40,000 females nested in a single day. Now less than 2,000 nest annually.

Kemp's ridleys live in shallow coastal areas, bays, and lagoons. While they are primarily located in the Gulf of Mexico, they migrate up and down the Atlantic Coast, too. The diet of the adult Kemp's includes crabs, shrimp, and fish.

While the majority of Kemp's nest at Rancho Nuevo, Mexico, the only US nesting site for the Kemp's is at Padre Island, Texas. Rancho Nuevo is protected by a no-fishing zone in its adjacent waters. This has proven effective in protecting sea turtles enroute to this nesting site. During 1998, the nesting to stranding ration was 620 times higher at Padre Island than Rancho Nuevo.

The United States and Mexican governments have spent millions of dollars and thousands of hours to try and establish a nesting colony of Kemp's ridley sea turtles at Padre Island. Some turtles from this project have returned to nest at Padre Island. Populations are showing signs of recovery, but it will be many decades before this species is considered fully recovered, if ever, and it will take additional protection measures including marine reserves to achieve it.