Endangered sea turtle nest discovered at Galveston Island State Park for the primary time in a decade – Houston Public Media

A nest of endangered sea turtle eggs was found on the beachside of Galveston Island State Park final week — the primary nest discovered at the park in over a decade.

The nest contained 107 eggs laid by a Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, which is one of the most endangered sea turtle species on this planet.

This was the first nest found at Galveston Island State Park since 2012, according to Christopher Marshall, a professor of Marine Biology at Texas A&M and director for the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Analysis.

As soon as the nest was discovered, it was dropped at an incubation facility at Padre Island National Seashore, Marshall mentioned.

“Each egg matters,” Marshall stated. "Plenty of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been misplaced to storms, high tide and predation, which is why it is very important transport these nests to an atmosphere where they've the most effective chance for survival into maturity."

The species was nearly lost in the Nineteen Eighties till intensive conservation efforts had been applied on nesting seashores and through fisheries administration, in accordance with NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the most important risk going through Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

Marshall mentioned the typical nesting season for the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle runs between April 1 and July 15. He urged anyone who finds a nest to remain no less than 60 ft away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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