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 primary nest found at 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 found 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 Middle for Sea Turtle Analysis.

As soon as the nest was found, it was brought to an incubation facility at Padre Island Nationwide Seashore, Marshall mentioned.

“Every egg matters,” Marshall mentioned. "Quite a lot of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been lost to storms, high tide and predation, which is why you will need to transport these nests to an atmosphere where they have the most effective chance for survival into adulthood."

The species was almost lost within the Eighties till intensive conservation efforts were applied on nesting seashores and thru fisheries management, according to NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional capture of non-target species whereas fishing — continues to be the biggest menace 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 anybody who finds a nest to remain a minimum of 60 toes away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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