Two olive ridley sea turtles nested near Seal Beach and Huntington Beach, the first recorded natural nesting by any sea turtle species on the U.S. West Coast. A NOAA researcher said El Niño very likely helped bring them north.
NOAA researcher Jeff Seminoff called the two nests a pattern rather than a one-off and said they extend olive ridleys’ nesting range about 700 miles north. California’s coastal waters are unusually warm; the Aquarium of the Pacific also cited a recent tropical storm, range expansion and possible navigation errors as other influences.
Olive ridley females nest two to three times a year. If these were their first nests, Seminoff said the turtles are very likely to return soon. He said hatchlings could return to Southern California as adults in 15 to 25 years, provided they hatch and ocean conditions allow them to enter the water there.
