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 final week — the primary 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 discovered 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 Center for Sea Turtle Research.

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

“Every egg matters,” Marshall mentioned. "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 surroundings where they have one of the best likelihood for survival into maturity."

The species was virtually lost within the Nineteen Eighties until intensive conservation efforts had been applied on nesting beaches and through fisheries management, in line with NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the biggest risk dealing with Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

Marshall stated the everyday 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 at the very least 60 feet away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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