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 found on the beachside of Galveston Island State Park final 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 likely one of the most endangered sea turtle species on this planet.

This was the first nest discovered at Galveston Island State Park since 2012, in keeping with Christopher Marshall, a professor of Marine Biology at Texas A&M and director for the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Analysis.

Once the nest was found, it was delivered to an incubation facility at Padre Island National Seashore, Marshall stated.

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

The species was almost lost within the 1980s till intensive conservation efforts have been applied on nesting seashores and through fisheries management, in accordance with NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species whereas fishing — continues to be the biggest menace dealing with Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

Marshall stated the standard nesting season for the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle runs between April 1 and July 15. He urged anybody who finds a nest to stay not less than 60 feet away and to name the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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