"The NOAA Galveston Laboratory has been raising sea turtles continously in captivity since 1977.  As the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network [STSSN] local represenatative for the upper Texas Gulf coast [coast is divided into 4 areas - upper, middle, Padre Island National Seashore and lower], we respond to sea turtle strandings, dead or alive.  We document dead sea turtles, conduct a necropsy in an attempt to determine cause of death, collect biological samples if required, and dispose of the carcass.  Live turtles are returned to the NOAA Galveston Laboratory where they are cared for in the sea turtle hospital.  The NOAA Galveston Laboratory is not mandated to run a sea turtle hospital, but we do, because we have the capability to do so and there are no other local resources with the expertise to treat and house sick and injured sea turtles.  Sea turtles receive medical attention from our attending veterinarians and The Houston Zoo, Inc., provides the bulk of those medical services free of charge.  Once sea turtles are treated, recovered/rehabilitated and medically cleared, they are released either offshore or into Galveston Bay depending on the species, size and age of the turtle.  We try to release sea turtles back into the wild where they would be normally found at that size and maturity.  The Gulf of Mexico in Galveston seasonally supports healthy sea turtles from April to October.  By November of each year, the coastal waters become too cold to support healthy sea turtles.  Sea turtles that strand after October or that are still receiving  treatment in October, are usually held over the winter and released the following spring.  Occassionally, turtles that require holding over the winter are sent to The Houston Zoo, Inc., Moody Gardens, or Texas A&M University at Galveston for over-wintering."