The Little-Known Story Of Sea Turtles In Southern California And How They’ve Made A Big Comeback

When I think of sea turtles, which I absolutely adore, I tend to think of Hawaii and other tropical reefs and beaches. I’m sure I am not alone in that. But did you know that we have a population of sea turtles in Southern California, right near some of our biggest cities? If you didn’t know (I didn’t!), it isn’t surprising because they were almost entirely gone for a long time, but they have made a remarkable comeback. Here is the story of these beautiful sea creatures.

Green sea turtles in Southern California often begin life over 1,500 miles south on a beach in Mexico, where they break out of their eggshells in the sand and make the mad dash for the open sea.

The fact that fewer than 1 in 100 of these tiny babies actually survive to maturity is sobering, but believe it or not, that is not what caused the decline of sea turtles. From the early 1900s until as late as the early 1990s, it was legal to harvest the turtles in many areas of the Pacific, which was often done for their eggs and meat.

East Pacific green turtles were listed on the Endangered Species Act as “threatened” in the 1970s and their population was rapidly declining. In the decades that followed, however, nesting beaches began to be protected, as seen by this sign and posts on a beach in Mexico.

In addition, foraging areas also started being protected during the mid-1990s. These combined efforts resulted in a steady increase in the number of green sea turtles in the eastern Pacific, especially noticed in the past five to ten years.

Once again, about 60 Pacific green sea turtles call the San Diego Bay home, returning periodically to their nesting beach to lay eggs. Ready for a fun fact? The largest East Pacific green sea turtle on record weighed 540 pounds and is from San Diego Bay!

With plenty of algae and other vegetation for them to enjoy, Green turtles are making their way as far north as the San Gabriel River, a mainly urban channel that empties to the ocean just south of Los Angeles, as well as other coastal areas of Orange County.

With ongoing conservation efforts, research, and the increases in recent years, we are likely to see more and more of these graceful marine animals in our SoCal waters as time goes on.

Welcome back to Southern California, sea turtles! Did you know about the decline and comeback of these beloved sea animals here in the Golden State? Have you ever seen one here? If you love seeing and learning about our amazing marine life, I highly recommend a visit to SoCal’s largest aquarium, Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. And be sure to check out even more of our favorite Southern California fun facts, history, etc.!