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

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

This was the primary nest discovered 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 Heart for Sea Turtle Analysis.

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

“Each egg matters,” Marshall mentioned. "Numerous nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been misplaced to storms, high tide and predation, which is why you will need to transport these nests to an surroundings the place they've the very best likelihood for survival into adulthood."

The species was nearly misplaced within the Nineteen Eighties until intensive conservation efforts had been carried out on nesting beaches and thru fisheries administration, in response to NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the biggest risk facing Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

Marshall stated the typical nesting season for the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle runs between April 1 and July 15. He urged anyone who finds a nest to stay a minimum of 60 feet away and to name the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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