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 discovered on the beachside of Galveston Island State Park last week — the primary nest found at the park in over a decade.

The nest contained 107 eggs laid by a Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, which is among the most endangered sea turtle species on the planet.

This was the primary nest found 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 Heart for Sea Turtle Analysis.

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

“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 it is important to transport these nests to an setting where they've the very best probability for survival into maturity."

The species was virtually lost within the 1980s until intensive conservation efforts have been implemented on nesting beaches and thru fisheries management, in line with NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional capture of non-target species while fishing — continues to be the biggest menace 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 anybody 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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