Sea Turtle Eggs Laid Near Seal Beach Safety In Question: Is OC Their Long-Term Nesting Ground?

SEAL BEACH, CA — Recent sea turtle nests documented along the northern Orange County coastline are casting new light on a mysterious discovery made six years ago, when five sea turtle eggs were discovered on Huntington Beach and brought to the area's Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center.

It is just another piece of the developing picture of sea turtles along the Southern California coast as officials grapple with the discovery of sea turtle eggs on the busy Orange County shore.

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Recently, an Olive Ridley sea turtle nested and laid a clutch of eggs near Seal Beach. Another sea turtle was seen near the Huntington Beach Pier days later.

As of Thursday, the City of Huntington Beach is working closely with experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other local, state, and federal partners as the nest continues to develop. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has jurisdiction over the nesting site and is evaluating current conditions to determine what, if any, additional actions may be appropriate.

Experts urged beachgoers to steer clear of and not disturb the highly sensitive locations. The nest already has multiple factors against it: rising tides from the incoming Kelvin Wave, a hurricane and changing ocean temperatures. Plus, noise issues from the upcoming airshow.

As wildlife experts continue to evaluate the nest, they are helping the City better understand which environmental factors may affect the developing eggs.

"Loud sounds from human activities, light, and vibrations have negligible impact on the development of the eggs," said NOAA scientist Jeff Seminoff. "Instead, the biggest hurdles these developing baby turtles face will be cold temperatures as we get deeper into the fall, and the potential for inundation from the extreme high tides that are common this time of the year."

The area's annual Huntington Beach Pacific Airshow is slated to run Oct. 2 - 4, drawing thousands to the shore from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., daily.

The Last Known Clutch Of Sea Turtle Eggs Found In Huntington Beach Was In 2020

In 2020, when the eggs were discovered, they were disturbed and moved to the Wetlands & Wildlife Rescue Center by young boys and their mother, McGuire told Patch. That discovery was only recently confirmed by DNA as a nesting event, former Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center Executive Director Debbie McGuire told Patch. "The recent nests in the Huntington Beach and Seal Beach area make the earlier find worth revisiting."

Though she has since retired, McGuire returned to original records, recounting the story of the eggs foudn during COVID when the world was shut down.

"The family found the nest, dug them up from the beach, and brought them to us," she said. It was not ideal, but they were doing what they thought was right at the time, she said. That intervention likely led to their failure to hatch.

Noting the close proximity to the current nest's exit, she wondered. "How much should people intervene, and how many times have these sea turtles visited before without being noticed?"

The current nest is in a precarious position, with El Niño weather patterns and human factors typical of this time of year. Soon, the beaches will see a rise in water level due to the Kelvin Wave. Beach erosion is possible due to the hurricanes brewing off the coast.

"What do you do when it's Mother Nature? We know the Kelvin wave is coming. We know the water level is rising 6 to 12 inches. Beach erosion will occur. Agencies met today to discuss these factors on the sensitive nesting area.

McGuire ticked off potential solutions. "Do we build a berm around the nests? Do we dig up the nests and move them further from the water? Or do we dig them up, take them offsite to SeaWorld or the Aquarium of the Pacific to raise them there?"

"By moving the eggs, you risk injuring them or having them not hatch (as happened in 2020)," she said. "If they were to raise them in captivity, you have to get them straight to shore so that they can get right into the ocean."

McGuire shared pictures of the clutch of eggs from the original finding six years ago.

"The eggs were X-rayed, measured, kept in an incubator at the proper temperature, and they never matured. McGuire shared eggs that didn't make it with the Southwest Fisheries. DNA testing revealed they were laid by a sea turtle.

"DNA revealed they were definitely sea turtles and likely Olive Ridley sea turtles," she said. "They can go many years without returning to nesting grounds."

According to ScienceDirect.com, females can lay between one and three clutches of roughly 100 eggs per season. "Most females return to nest yearly, while some can go as much as eight years before returning to a breeding and nesting area."

Her best advice for wildlife lovers? "If you see nests on the shore, experts ask that you follow the signs and leave them alone."

McGuire retired in December from the Wetlands & Wildlife Center and is now the Chief Development Officer of the Human-Wildlife Coexistence Initiative. She is currently at work on a wildlife film project focused on human-wildlife coexistence.

"You don't have to chase the seagulls or throw rocks at the sea lions," she said. "If people change their behaviors, we can all better coexist with nature."