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 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 among the most endangered sea turtle species on this planet.

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 Heart for Sea Turtle Research.

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

“Each egg issues,” Marshall stated. "Plenty of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been misplaced to storms, high tide and predation, which is why it is very important transport these nests to an atmosphere the place they've one of the best probability for survival into maturity."

The species was nearly lost in the Eighties till intensive conservation efforts were applied on nesting seashores and thru fisheries administration, in keeping with NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch — the intentional seize of non-target species whereas fishing — continues to be the largest menace facing Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.

Marshall stated 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 remain no less than 60 ft away and to call the Sea Turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5.

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