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 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 planet.

This was the first nest discovered at Galveston Island State Park since 2012, in line with Christopher Marshall, a professor of Marine Biology at Texas A&M and director for the Gulf Heart for Sea Turtle Analysis.

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

“Every egg matters,” Marshall mentioned. "A variety of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been lost to storms, excessive tide and predation, which is why it is important to transport these nests to an atmosphere where they have the perfect likelihood for survival into maturity."

The species was almost lost in the 1980s until intensive conservation efforts were carried out on nesting beaches and thru fisheries management, based on NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional capture of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the biggest threat dealing with Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

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

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