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 discovered on the beachside of Galveston Island State Park final week — the first nest discovered at the park in over a decade.

The nest contained 107 eggs laid by a Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, which is 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 response to Christopher Marshall, a professor of Marine Biology at Texas A&M and director for the Gulf Middle for Sea Turtle Research.

Once the nest was found, it was brought to an incubation facility at Padre Island Nationwide Seashore, Marshall said.

“Each egg issues,” Marshall mentioned. "A lot of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been lost to storms, high tide and predation, which is why it is important to transport these nests to an environment where they've the very best chance for survival into maturity."

The species was nearly misplaced in the 1980s until intensive conservation efforts had been implemented on nesting seashores and thru fisheries management, in keeping with NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species whereas fishing — continues to be the most important threat going through 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 anyone who finds a nest to remain at the least 60 ft away and to name the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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