PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. — A marine studies group is celebrating after a sea turtle nest was discovered on the Mississippi beach for the first time in four years.
On Friday, the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies said on its Facebook page that the nest was found last week after possible turtle tracks were spotted east of Pass Christian Harbor by a Harrison County Sand Beach crew.
The institute said staff members went and marked the area off with stakes and flagging tape after confirming the nest location to protect it as the eggs incubated.
The group said the discovery is a milestone since the last time a sea turtle laid a nest happened in 2018.
They added the eggs typically hatch after they incubate for 50 to 60 days.
Moby Solangi, president of the marine studies group, told The Sun Herald newspaper the eggs might belong to a loggerhead sea turtle or a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle.
Solangi added that the discovery is "a good sign" after the turtle population was hurt by the 2010 oil spill and the 2019 opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway, the newspaper reported.