Sea turtle eggs relocated from Orange County beaches to Aquarium of the Pacific

As part of a historic moment for marine wildlife in California, hundreds of sea turtle eggs have been relocated from Orange County beaches to the Aquarium of the Pacific to protect them from anticipated hazardous surf this weekend.

This is the first time any sea turtle has been documented nesting along the U.S. West Coast. Experts say olive ridley sea turtles typically nest farther south, in the warmer waters of Baja California, but this year the ocean there is exceptionally warm.

"The temps where their normal nesting sites may exist may be a little bit too high, being a super strong El Niño," said Chad Steffen, a certified marine naturalist. "There's a lot of really, really warm water down there, down in Mexico."

A sea turtle was first spotted in Seal Beach last week, and days later, possibly the same sea turtle, was seen nesting just miles south in Huntington Beach.

Biologists carefully collected over 200 eggs this morning and transferred them to the Long Beach aquarium, where they will be held in a temperature-controlled environment. 

"Collectively, we made the challenging decision as high tides combine with dangerous surf conditions, driven by Hurricane Polo," the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said in a statement. The agency partners with NOAA Fisheries Service, West Coast, in managing olive ridleys, as breeding populations along Mexico's Pacific coast are listed as endangered.

"The eggs will be carefully monitored and if viable, are expected to hatch in 45 - 60 days, in early November," USFWS said.