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 last week — the primary 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 first 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 Center for Sea Turtle Research.

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

“Each egg matters,” Marshall said. "A variety of 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 setting where they have the best likelihood for survival into adulthood."

The species was almost lost within the Nineteen Eighties until intensive conservation efforts were implemented on nesting beaches and through fisheries administration, according to NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the biggest threat facing Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

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

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