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 discovered on the beachside of Galveston Island State Park last 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 among the most endangered sea turtle species on the planet.

This was the first 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 Middle for Sea Turtle Research.

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

“Each egg matters,” Marshall said. "A variety of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been lost to storms, high tide and predation, which is why you will need to transport these nests to an atmosphere the place they have the best chance for survival into maturity."

The species was almost misplaced within the Nineteen Eighties till intensive conservation efforts had been implemented on nesting beaches and thru fisheries administration, in response to NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional capture of non-target species whereas fishing — continues to be the biggest risk going through Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

Marshall said the standard 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 no less than 60 ft away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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