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 first 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 on the planet.

This was the first nest found at Galveston Island State Park since 2012, in line 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 discovered, it was delivered to an incubation facility at Padre Island National Seashore, Marshall said.

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

The species was virtually misplaced in the Eighties until intensive conservation efforts were implemented on nesting seashores and thru fisheries management, in response to NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the biggest threat 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 anyone who finds a nest to stay not less than 60 feet away and to name the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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