Endangered sea turtle nest discovered at Galveston Island State Park for the first 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 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 without doubt 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 Middle for Sea Turtle Research.

Once the nest was found, it was dropped at an incubation facility at Padre Island Nationwide Seashore, Marshall stated.

“Every egg matters,” Marshall stated. "A lot of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been misplaced to storms, excessive tide and predation, which is why it is important to transport these nests to an surroundings where they've the best chance for survival into adulthood."

The species was virtually misplaced within the 1980s until intensive conservation efforts have been carried out on nesting seashores and thru fisheries management, in response to NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional capture of non-target species whereas fishing — continues to be the largest threat facing Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

Marshall said the typical nesting season for the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle runs between April 1 and July 15. He urged anybody who finds a nest to remain at least 60 toes away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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