ORANGE COUNTY — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration verified that two different olive ridley sea turtles nested on Orange County beaches in September 2026. An olive ridley sea turtle was observed laying eggs near Seal Beach on September 16, 2026, and a second olive ridley sea turtle was observed laying eggs near Huntington Beach on September 19, 2026.

Scientists determined the turtles were separate individuals by analyzing photographs of shell shape and barnacle patterns. Justin Viezbicke, California stranding coordinator for NOAA, said, "This is the first documented case of a turtle nesting on the west coast." Jeff Flocken, President of the Aquarium of the Pacific, stated that there has never been a recorded instance of any sea turtle nesting on a California beach prior to these events.

Olive ridley sea turtles typically lay eggs in Mexico and Central America. Jeff Flocken suggested that an unusually active September hurricane season in the Pacific or extremely strong El Niño conditions could have blown the turtles off course or influenced water temperatures. Olive ridley sea turtles are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Both nesting sites have been fenced off to protect the eggs. The public is advised to keep at least 50 feet away from sea turtles on local beaches. NOAA stated it will monitor both nesting areas along with local, state, and federal partners until the eggs hatch.

Sea turtle incubation typically lasts 45 to 60 days. Each nest contains an estimated 50 to 100 eggs. Olive ridley sea turtles typically weigh up to 100 pounds and are 2.5 to 3 feet long.

Viezbicke said, "Typically, they do it during the night. This one has been a little abnormal in the fact she came up during the day and right as the sun was setting."

Why It Matters

This is the first documented case of a sea turtle nesting on the U.S. West Coast. The event occurred shortly after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service rescinded the regulatory definition of "harm" in Endangered Species Act regulations, a final rule effective September 14, 2026.

Jeff Seminoff, leader of the Marine Turtle Ecology and Assessment Program at NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, said, "In my nearly 40 years of working with sea turtles, it's one of the most exciting and momentous occasions in my entire career."

Timeline

The Commerce Department published notice titled "Endangered Species; File No. 28119" on 2024-08-20. The Commerce Department published notice titled "Endangered Species; File No. 29414" on 2026-04-09. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service rescinded the regulatory definition of "harm" in Endangered Species Act regulations, a final rule effective September 14, 2026.

An olive ridley sea turtle was observed laying eggs near Seal Beach on September 16, 2026. A second olive ridley sea turtle was observed laying eggs near Huntington Beach on September 19, 2026.

What's New

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service rescinded the regulatory definition of "harm in Endangered Species Act regulations, a final rule effective September 14, 2026. A study titled Olive Ridley Mass Nesting Ecology and Egg Harvest at Ostional Beach, Costa Rica was published in 2012 in Chelonian Conservation and Biology. Research titled The Olive Ridley was published in 2001 in Sea Turtles of Hawai`i."

Seminoff said, In my nearly 40 years of working with sea turtles, it's one of the most exciting and momentous occasions in my entire career." Trevor McDonald said, "Then they observed the turtle starting to lay eggs."