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 found on the beachside of Galveston Island State Park last week — the first 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 earth.

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

As soon as the nest was found, it was delivered to an incubation facility at Padre Island Nationwide Seashore, Marshall stated.

“Every egg issues,” Marshall said. "A number of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been lost to storms, high tide and predation, which is why you will need to transport these nests to an surroundings where they have the best probability for survival into maturity."

The species was almost misplaced in the 1980s until intensive conservation efforts have been applied on nesting seashores and through fisheries administration, in line with NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species whereas fishing — continues to be the largest menace going through 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 anyone who finds a nest to remain a minimum of 60 toes away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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