“Although eastern Pacific green turtles, one of 11 distinct populations of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), are mostly associated with Hawai‘i, the Galápagos Islands, and Mexico, their range increasingly includes the California coast. In fact, eastern Pacific green turtles who typically nest and hatch on tropical beaches have been spotted as far north as Monterey Bay in chilly, foggy waters nearly 620 kilometers (385 miles) from here…

Why eastern Pacific green turtles migrated north to forage remains unsettled. The pioneering turtles of the 1970s may have been opportunists, their chutzpah guiding them toward new habitat and, coincidentally, away from human hunting grounds. Lately though, one of the driving forces behind range expansion is likely population growth in Michoacán. Colola Beach—where Seminoff noted just 212 nesting females in 1992—saw 27,000 nesters come ashore in 2024, the highest number on record. It’s logical that as their numbers have increased, Mexico’s turtles have had to seek new foraging grounds, but there’s probably more to it.”

From bioGraphic.