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 last week — the first nest discovered on the park in over a decade.

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

This was the primary 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 Heart for Sea Turtle Analysis.

Once the nest was found, it was delivered to an incubation facility at Padre Island National Seashore, Marshall stated.

“Every egg issues,” Marshall mentioned. "A whole lot of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been misplaced to storms, high tide and predation, which is why it is important to transport these nests to an setting the place they've the best likelihood for survival into maturity."

The species was virtually misplaced within the Eighties until intensive conservation efforts have been implemented on nesting beaches and through fisheries administration, based on NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species whereas fishing — continues to be the most important threat 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 stay no less than 60 ft away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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