Gazebo Gazette
Tuesday, September 5, 2023, the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) released four Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles into the Gulf of Mexico while excavating a nest of sea turtles found on the Harrison County Beaches is Pass Christian.
An IMMS crew first released the sea turtles back into the water, two of them were brought from New England to be treated for freeze shock. The other two had been caught by fishermen on the Mississippi Gulf Coast before being put in the care of IMMS.
Then, the crew excavated a nest of turtles that hatched in Pass Christian last week. IMMS experts recovered 84 hatched eggs in total with 12 live hatchlings.
According to IMMS stranding coordinator Theresa Madrigal, nests typically contain 100 to 150 eggs. The odds that one of the hatchlings will make it to adulthood are slim.
After the 12 living hatchlings were recovered, they were guided across the shore and into the water by IMMS workers.
