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 discovered on the beachside of Galveston Island State Park final week — the primary nest discovered 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 this planet.

This was the primary nest found at Galveston Island State Park since 2012, based on 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 dropped at an incubation facility at Padre Island National Seashore, Marshall mentioned.

“Every egg issues,” Marshall said. "A variety of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been misplaced to storms, excessive tide and predation, which is why it is very important transport these nests to an environment the place they have one of the best likelihood for survival into adulthood."

The species was almost lost in the Nineteen Eighties until intensive conservation efforts had been carried out on nesting seashores and thru fisheries management, according to NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the largest risk dealing with Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

Marshall said the standard 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 ft away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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