Endangered sea turtle nest discovered at Galveston Island State Park for the primary 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 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 among the most endangered sea turtle species on this planet.

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

Once the nest was discovered, it was dropped at an incubation facility at Padre Island National Seashore, Marshall stated.

“Each egg matters,” Marshall said. "A lot of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been misplaced to storms, high tide and predation, which is why it is important to transport these nests to an setting where they have the best likelihood for survival into maturity."

The species was nearly misplaced within the 1980s until intensive conservation efforts had been applied on nesting beaches and thru fisheries management, in keeping with NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the biggest risk facing 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 anybody who finds a nest to stay a minimum of 60 feet away and to name the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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