Endangered sea turtle nest found at Galveston Island State Park for the primary 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 first nest found 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 on the earth.

This was the first nest found 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 Center for Sea Turtle Analysis.

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

“Each egg issues,” Marshall mentioned. "Numerous nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been misplaced to storms, high tide and predation, which is why it is very important transport these nests to an setting where they've the very best likelihood for survival into adulthood."

The species was virtually misplaced within the Eighties until intensive conservation efforts were implemented on nesting seashores and through fisheries management, according to 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 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 no less than 60 toes away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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