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

A nest of endangered sea turtle eggs was discovered on the beachside of Galveston Island State Park final week — the first nest found at 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, in accordance with 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.

“Each egg matters,” Marshall stated. "A lot of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been misplaced to storms, high tide and predation, which is why you will need to transport these nests to an surroundings the place they've the most effective chance for survival into maturity."

The species was virtually misplaced in the Nineteen Eighties till intensive conservation efforts were applied on nesting beaches and thru fisheries management, in line with NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species whereas fishing — continues to be the largest 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 at the very least 60 toes away and to name the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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