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 primary nest discovered 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 in the world.

This was the primary nest found at Galveston Island State Park since 2012, based on 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 found, it was delivered to an incubation facility at Padre Island Nationwide Seashore, Marshall stated.

“Every egg matters,” Marshall stated. "Quite a lot of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been lost to storms, excessive tide and predation, which is why you will need to transport these nests to an atmosphere where they have one of the best likelihood for survival into adulthood."

The species was almost misplaced in the 1980s till intensive conservation efforts had been carried out on nesting seashores and thru fisheries administration, according to NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional capture of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the biggest threat going through 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 anybody who finds a nest to remain at least 60 feet away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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