Archie Carr was among the first scientist to recognize the plight of the Sea turtles. His voice was also the most eloquent in calling for them to be rescued from extinction. He did more to save the turtles than anyone else had at the time. Many of today’s sea turtle researchers either studied with Dr. Carr or with one of his students.

Archie Carr first observed sea turtles in 1947 while teaching biology in Honduras, in Central America, and it was love at first sight. In the 1950’s his pioneering sea turtle research in another Central American Country, Costa Rica, led to the establishment of Tortuguero National Park, an important turtle nesting beach. His work also led to the founding of the Caribbean Conservation Corporation, established to study and protect sea turtles.

In the 1960’s, Carr launched “Operation Green Turtle” with the help of the United States Navy. The project distributed green sea turtle eggs to beaches all over the Gulf of Mexico in an effort to repopulate the Caribbean Sea with turtles. Carr tagged sea turtles so that he could learn more about their mysterious migrations. Archie Carr also recognized that is sea turtles were to survive; their habitat would need to be protected. That is why he became outspoken in his opposition to ocean pollution.
Dr. Carr spent many years as a professor at the University of Florida. He wrote 120 scientific papers and became known as the “father of sea turtle research.” Though he died in 1987, his legacy lives on in Florida’s Archie Carr national Wildlife Refuge, a 20 mile beach and sea turtle nesting site. Carr’s legacy also inspired the public to take up the challenge of saving the worlds sea turtles.