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 final week — the primary nest found on the park in over a decade.

The nest contained 107 eggs laid by a Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, which is without doubt one of the most endangered sea turtle species in the world.

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

Once the nest was discovered, it was dropped at an incubation facility at Padre Island National Seashore, Marshall stated.

“Each egg matters,” Marshall mentioned. "Loads 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 the place they have the very best likelihood for survival into adulthood."

The species was virtually misplaced within the Nineteen Eighties until intensive conservation efforts were carried out on nesting beaches and thru fisheries management, according to NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the largest menace going through Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

Marshall mentioned 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 stay at least 60 toes away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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