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 last 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 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 Middle for Sea Turtle Research.

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

“Each egg issues,” Marshall mentioned. "A whole lot of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been misplaced to storms, high tide and predation, which is why it is very important transport these nests to an atmosphere where they have the very best likelihood for survival into maturity."

The species was virtually misplaced in the 1980s till intensive conservation efforts were carried out on nesting seashores and thru fisheries management, based on NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the most important threat facing Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

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

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