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 last week — the primary nest found 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 on the planet.

This was the primary nest found at Galveston Island State Park since 2012, in line with Christopher Marshall, a professor of Marine Biology at Texas A&M and director for the Gulf Heart for Sea Turtle Research.

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

“Every egg issues,” Marshall mentioned. "A number 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 environment where they've the very best chance for survival into maturity."

The species was nearly lost within the Eighties until intensive conservation efforts were implemented on nesting seashores and thru fisheries management, based on NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the biggest threat dealing with Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

Marshall mentioned 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 not less than 60 toes away and to name the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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