Beachcombing Texas Beaches

Jace Tunnell is Director of Community Engagement at the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. He is the founder of Nurdle Patrol, a citizen science project that tracks plastic pellet pollution worldwide to raise awareness and inform policy. Jace also directs and produces Beachcombing, a video series that highlights unusual items washing up on Gulf Coast beaches and the stories they tell about marine life and ocean processes. His outreach extends through a weekly Beachcombing newspaper column in Texas publications, a weekly NPR radio segment, and televised episodes aired on PBS-KEDT. His conservation work focuses on engaging the public in marine science, increasing awareness of plastic pollution, and protecting coastal resources. Jace earned his Master’s degree in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi in 2001.

Beachcombing Texas Beaches: Each week, the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi heads to the beach to see what the ocean has delivered to our shores. These surveys don’t just reveal fascinating finds—they help connect people to the incredible place we call home. In this talk, Jace Tunnell shares some of the strangest and most memorable discoveries from his years of beachcombing: more than 60 messages in a bottle, an alligator encounter, a prosthetic leg, stings from jellyfish, illegal fishing gear, creepy dolls, lost money, and much more. While these stories are often entertaining, they carry a bigger message: ocean debris has very real consequences for marine life and coastal ecosystems.

Jace Tunnell is Director of Community Engagement at the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. He is the founder of Nurdle Patrol, a citizen science project that tracks plastic pellet pollution worldwide to raise awareness and inform policy. Jace also directs and produces Beachcombing, a video series that highlights unusual items washing up on Gulf Coast beaches and the stories they tell about marine life and ocean processes. His outreach extends through a weekly Beachcombing newspaper column in Texas publications, a weekly NPR radio segment, and televised episodes aired on PBS-KEDT. His conservation work focuses on engaging the public in marine science, increasing awareness of plastic pollution, and protecting coastal resources. Jace earned his Master’s degree in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi in 2001.