Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Nest Update Friedman Adventures was there this morning

Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Nest Update

Friedman Adventures was there this morning

What a morning.

Wildlife officials moved olive ridley sea turtle eggs off Orange County beaches and over to the Aquarium of the Pacific ahead of this weekend’s hazardous surf. That swell is coming, driven by Hurricane Polo, and the worry was those nests getting washed away.

In mid-September two olive ridleys laid eggs along our coast — Seal Beach and Huntington Beach. First time any sea turtle has been documented nesting on the U.S. West Coast. Historic. That’s not a word we throw around.

This morning biologists carefully collected those eggs and transferred them to the Aquarium of the Pacific. They’ll sit in a temperature-controlled environment, get monitored, and if they’re viable they should hatch in 45 to 60 days — early November. Friedman Adventures was live on the sand for that work. We were one of the few media outlets on scene. You can watch the whole thing right now on the Friedman Adventures YouTube channel.

Collectively they made a hard call as the high tides stacked up with that dangerous surf. An interagency team has been watching the storm and the beach hazards. Breeding populations of olive ridleys on Mexico’s Pacific coast are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries West Coast work together on the management of these animals.

A big thank you to NOAA, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Huntington Beach Fire Department Marine Safety, City of Huntington Beach, Huntington Beach Fire Department, Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve, U.S. Navy Seal Beach, Seal Beach Marine Safety Department, City of Seal Beach, Surfside lifeguards, Surfside Colony Community Association, the Aquarium of the Pacific, and everyone else who jumped in fast and stayed with it.

Such an exciting morning. So great to have been a part of it. Go to the Friedman Adventures YouTube channel and watch it now. We’ll keep you posted as those eggs move toward hatch.

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Next Friedman Adventures Surf Fishing Festival is Saturday, October 24 at Anderson St / PCH, Sunset Beach. Free. Family. Raffles. Kids gear.