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 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 without doubt one of the most endangered sea turtle species on the planet.

This was the primary nest discovered 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 Middle for Sea Turtle Research.

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

“Each egg matters,” Marshall mentioned. "A variety of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been misplaced to storms, excessive tide and predation, which is why it is important to transport these nests to an setting the place they have the perfect probability for survival into maturity."

The species was nearly misplaced in the Nineteen Eighties until intensive conservation efforts had been implemented on nesting seashores and through fisheries administration, in response to NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional capture of non-target species whereas fishing — continues to be the biggest menace going through 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 not less than 60 toes away and to name the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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