Endangered sea turtles found on remote Louisiana island.

Newly hatched Kemp's ridley sea turtle makes its way out to the Gulf of Mexico from Louisiana's Chandeleur Islands.

For the first time in 75 years, endangered Kemp ridley sea turtle hatchlings have been seen on Louisiana’s Chandeleur Islands located in extreme eastern St. Bernard Parish. The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and Department of Wildlife and Fisheries found the hatchlings. Todd Baker is project manager for the CPRA and he says it’s a huge deal.

“ So we started flying surveys specifically for sea turtles and happened to find these guys out there nesting. We actually documented over 53 crawls,” Baker says.

They found hatchlings of endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles. They also found loggerhead turtles, which are considered threatened.  Baker says most Kemps turtle nests are in Mexico, with a few nests in Texas and Florida. He says the fact they have turned up in Louisiana is very good news for the species’ prospects of survival.

In addition, Baker says the location of the hatchlings on a remote island hard for humans to reach makes them easier to protect. He says restoring the Chandeleur Islands is more of a priority in an effort to save the Kemp Ridley sea turtle from extinction.