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 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 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, in accordance with Christopher Marshall, a professor of Marine Biology at Texas A&M and director for the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research.

Once the nest was found, it was brought to an incubation facility at Padre Island Nationwide Seashore, Marshall said.

“Each egg matters,” Marshall mentioned. "Loads of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been lost to storms, high tide and predation, which is why it is important to transport these nests to an surroundings the place they have the perfect likelihood for survival into adulthood."

The species was almost lost in the Eighties till intensive conservation efforts have been implemented on nesting beaches and thru fisheries management, in response to NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species whereas fishing — continues to be the largest risk dealing with Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

Marshall stated the standard 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 a minimum of 60 ft away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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