Endangered sea turtle nest discovered at Galveston Island State Park for the first time in a decade – Houston Public Media

A nest of endangered sea turtle eggs was discovered on the beachside of Galveston Island State Park last week — the first 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 the earth.

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

Once the nest was discovered, it was dropped at an incubation facility at Padre Island Nationwide Seashore, Marshall said.

“Each 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 setting where they have one of the best probability for survival into adulthood."

The species was almost misplaced in the 1980s till intensive conservation efforts have been carried out on nesting seashores and through fisheries management, in accordance with NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional capture of non-target species whereas fishing — continues to be the biggest menace facing 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 anybody who finds a nest to remain at the least 60 ft away and to name the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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