Endangered sea turtle nest found at Galveston Island State Park for the first 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 primary 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 the earth.

This was the first nest discovered 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 discovered, it was dropped at an incubation facility at Padre Island National Seashore, Marshall mentioned.

“Each egg issues,” Marshall stated. "A number 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 environment the place they've one of the best probability for survival into maturity."

The species was virtually misplaced in the Nineteen Eighties till intensive conservation efforts had been applied on nesting beaches and thru fisheries administration, in line with NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the biggest threat dealing with 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 the very least 60 ft away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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