About 30 persons, a mix of Sea Turtle, Inc. staff, interns, volunteers, two NOAA representatives and one from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, braved rough seas on June 28 that left many on the boat feeling as green as seaweed. Their mission during the early hours before dawn was to release 94 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, and four hawksbills, into the wild. The four hawksbills were rehabilitated turtles from Sea...
Accidents and drownings at the beach are preventable, but prevention requires awareness, officials say There have been five drownings on South Padre Island beaches this year, including a Harlingen man who drowned on June 6. Two occurred within the Island’s city limits, the SPI Fire Department said. Three others were at county beach accesses, Cameron County Parks Police said. “A lot of our visitors aren’t used to the beach or...
A Coast Guard crew patrolling in the Gulf of Mexico off South Padre Island has found an illegal net containing hundreds of dead sharks. A Coast Guard statement Tuesday says the 5-mile-long gill net was found loaded with 345 dead sharks about 17miles north of the U.S.-Mexican border. Gill nets are illegal throughout Texas, and Coast Guard Cmdr. Daniel Deptula described the nets as “wasteful.” He says such fishing methods...
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) is cracking down on drunk driving this fourth of July holiday weekend. Troopers are focusing on areas that are high-risk and will patrol those areas at times when alcohol related crashes are most frequent. State statistics show every 20 minutes a person is killed or hurt in an alcohol-related crash. The Fourth of July crackdown is annual effort but comes as DPS recently began...
With summer upon us let’s face it the travel bug has likely gotten the best of you, right? No worries, since there’s a place down south in Texas that has just the cure for warm weather fever and good fun. South Padre Island, you’ll know you have arrived when you cross the bridge and end up in paradise. Indeed, it’s a place where the weather will make you smile....
The Fourth of July holiday is this week, and AAA estimates 2.5 million Texans will be hitting the roads. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, people spend more time traveling on the nation’s roadways during the summer months than any other time of year. The Texas Department of Transportation released tips for drivers while traveling to summertime events and family vacations. Tips for highway driving Always obey posted speed...
Redfish are the prized catch on Saturday as anglers take to the Laguna Madre in pursuit of the popular game fish. But the winners will not be determined by the size, weight or number of fish. Instead they want to bring the redfish with most spots to the docks. Called a spot tournament, the redfish must be in the legal slot of 18 to 28 inches and the fish...
PORT ISABEL – A moist breeze with a hint of fish scale wafted through the Pirate’s Landing Fishing Pier as Ruby the Pirate Queen, dressed more like a wench, put her juggling skills on display. First the cascade (the classic ball-tossing pattern with which most people are familiar), then she juggled bowling pins while balancing on a plant atop a barrel – absolute necessities for survival aboard a pirate...
First, there was Mars Crossing. Now, there’s The Flats at Mars Crossing. The Mars Crossing theme has resurfaced in a string of land purchases at Boca Chica Beach, located just across the channel from Isla Blance Park on South Padre Island,on behalf of Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The Boca Chica site is the proposed location of the world’s first private, commercial vertical launch complex in Cameron County. In late May,...
Sea Turtle Inc. on South Padre Island has found 19 nests as of June 16. Once a nest is laid, the estimated date of hatching is anywhere from 48 to 62 days after. But, only th ehatchlings can decide when they are ready to go! Not all hatchlings are open to the public. Hatchlings can only be released when they are in an active state (known asa a “frenzy”). When...
