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

A nest of endangered sea turtle eggs was found on the beachside of Galveston Island State Park final week — the first nest discovered on 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 earth.

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

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

“Every egg matters,” Marshall stated. "Loads of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been lost to storms, excessive tide and predation, which is why it is very important transport these nests to an atmosphere where they have the most effective probability for survival into maturity."

The species was nearly misplaced within the 1980s till intensive conservation efforts had been applied on nesting seashores and through fisheries administration, in accordance with NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species whereas fishing — continues to be the biggest menace facing 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 stay at the least 60 toes away and to name the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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