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 final 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 planet.

This was the primary 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 Middle for Sea Turtle Research.

As soon as the nest was found, it was dropped at an incubation facility at Padre Island National Seashore, Marshall said.

“Every egg issues,” Marshall stated. "Loads of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been lost to storms, excessive tide and predation, which is why you will need to transport these nests to an atmosphere where they've the very best chance for survival into adulthood."

The species was almost lost within the Nineteen Eighties till intensive conservation efforts were applied on nesting beaches and thru fisheries management, in response to NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional capture of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the biggest threat dealing with Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

Marshall mentioned 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 stay at the least 60 feet away and to name the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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