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 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 likely one of the most endangered sea turtle species on the planet.

This was the primary 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 Research.

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

“Every egg issues,” Marshall said. "A whole lot of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been lost to storms, high tide and predation, which is why it is important to transport these nests to an surroundings where they've one of the best chance for survival into maturity."

The species was almost lost within the 1980s until intensive conservation efforts were applied on nesting seashores and through fisheries administration, in response to NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species whereas fishing — continues to be the largest threat facing Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

Marshall said the typical 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 a minimum of 60 feet away and to name the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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