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 in the world.

This was the first nest discovered 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 Analysis.

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

“Every egg matters,” Marshall stated. "A number 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 setting where they have one of the best chance for survival into adulthood."

The species was nearly lost in the Eighties until intensive conservation efforts have been applied on nesting seashores and thru fisheries management, in line with NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the biggest threat dealing with Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

Marshall mentioned the everyday 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 toes away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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