LONG BEACH (CNS) - Eggs from two endangered olive ridley sea turtle nests discovered on Orange County beaches were moved to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach Friday over concerns that high surf and tides could wash away the nests.
Biologists carefully collected the eggs early Friday from nests near the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge and in Huntington Beach and transferred them to a temperature-controlled environment at the aquarium, according to an interagency team overseeing the nests.
Officials said they had been monitoring Hurricane Polo and potential beach hazards in Orange and San Diego counties. Hazardous surf conditions expected to coincide with high tides over the weekend prompted the decision to remove the eggs from the beaches.
If viable, the eggs could hatch in 45 to 60 days, around the first week of November, officials said.
The two nests, discovered Sept. 16 and Sept. 19, are the first confirmed natural sea turtle nests on the U.S. West Coast, according to the interagency team.
The first nesting spot was found Sept. 16 near the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. Three days later, an olive ridley turtle laid eggs near the Huntington Beach Pier. Officials later determined that the eggs had been laid by two different turtles.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, olive ridley turtles are the smallest sea turtles, with adults weighing up to 100 pounds and growing between 2 and 3 feet in length.
Anyone who finds a stranded turtle can call the NOAA Fisheries West Coast Stranding Hotline at 562-506-4315.
Sightings of sea turtles can be reported using the NOAA Fisheries West Coast Facebook account at www.facebook.com/NOAAFisheriesWestCoast.