Endangered sea turtle nest found at Galveston Island State Park for the first 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 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 in the world.

This was the primary 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.

Once the nest was discovered, it was delivered to an incubation facility at Padre Island Nationwide Seashore, Marshall mentioned.

“Each egg matters,” Marshall said. "A variety of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been lost to storms, excessive tide and predation, which is why it is important to transport these nests to an environment where they've one of the best probability for survival into adulthood."

The species was nearly misplaced in the 1980s until intensive conservation efforts have been implemented on nesting beaches and through fisheries administration, in line with NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the largest risk 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 at least 60 feet away and to name the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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