South Padre Island, TX (KRGV) — Nests of the endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle on Texas beaches increased 50% from last year, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service.

South Padre Island-based Sea Turtle, Inc. says that points to years of conservation work starting to pay off.

“Over the past 10 years we've really seen an increase in the number of nests that we're seeing,” Sea Turtle, Inc. Chief Conservation Officer Amy Bonka said.

Sea Turtle, Inc. said it had just under 150 nests last year and nearly 300 this year.

“It was the biggest that we have actually ever seen on record,” Bonka said.

Even Port Isabel resident Joe Baker has noticed a difference in the sea turtle population.

“I've been fishing for 56 years; we went from zero sea turtles to seeing them every day,” Baker said.

Bonka says more sea turtles also mean more controlled seagrass as it grows. The turtles act as a sort of lawn mower on the seagrass, which means more fish for people like Baker.

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