Endangered sea turtle nest discovered 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 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 among the most endangered sea turtle species in the world.

This was the primary nest found at Galveston Island State Park since 2012, in accordance with 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 discovered, it was brought to an incubation facility at Padre Island National Seashore, Marshall mentioned.

“Every egg issues,” Marshall stated. "Quite a 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 setting the place they have one of the best probability for survival into maturity."

The species was virtually lost in the 1980s until intensive conservation efforts were applied on nesting seashores and through fisheries administration, according to NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional capture of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the most important threat facing 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 remain at the least 60 feet away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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