Endangered sea turtle nest found 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 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 likely one of the most endangered sea turtle species in the world.

This was the first nest discovered 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 Center for Sea Turtle Research.

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

“Each egg matters,” Marshall mentioned. "Plenty 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 environment the place they have the best probability for survival into maturity."

The species was virtually lost in the Nineteen Eighties till intensive conservation efforts were implemented on nesting seashores and thru fisheries management, in line with NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species whereas fishing — continues to be the biggest threat facing Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

Marshall stated 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 at the very least 60 feet away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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