Finally, some good news about the Gulf oil spill.

From the St. Pete's Times:

Of the more than 25,000 eggs that were relocated, 14,676 successfully hatched and were released into the Atlantic Ocean, he said. That means more than half of them hatched — in fact, nearly six out of 10 made it into oil-free water.

"We do feel it was a success that we got that number of hatchlings into the sea," said Patricia Behnke, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "Of course, what happens to them after that, we don't know. But we never do."

More releases are occuring in Collier County, FL as well. Kemp's Ridleys are getting a new lease on life in the 10,000 Islands area, but time is running short. The cooling temperatures in the Gulf may make releasing harder. Over 100 have already been released and 8 more are ready to go. From WINK News Now:

"These guys are about two or three years old," said Dr. Jeff Schmid, Environmental Research Manager at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

The turtles were rescued off the coast of Louisiana, cleaned up at a lab there, then rehabilitated at Seaworld. On Thursday, biologists brought them to Collier and released them near the 10,000 Islands.

"The most logical site is to release them where Kemp's are known to occur in the wild," said Dr. Schmid. "The resources are there, the food, and the habitat for them to survive and thrive."

This was the 6th release in Collier since the spill.

Lastly, some hard work lays ahead for scientists. From the AP:

Scientists examining dead animals that were discovered along the Gulf Coast in the wake of the BP oil spill are observing strict laboratory protocols, knowing everything they touch could become evidence in what may prove to be the biggest environmental case in U.S. history.

Like detectives on a murder case, government scientists — and outside experts under contract to the government — are using CSI-style techniques to determine whether the oil is to blame for the wildlife deaths.

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether those responsible for the spill violated environmental laws that carry civil and sometimes criminal penalties, and the scientists are taking extraordinary steps to make sure their findings hold up in court.

"What we want to do is to make sure that the findings and the results we get aren't called into question in court based on chain of custody or other legal issues," said Dr. Michael Ziccardi, a veterinarian. "We're treating oiled wildlife response like a crime scene."

Justice Department spokeswoman Hannah August declined to comment on the investigation. Attorney General Eric Holder said in June that the government will prosecute violations of such laws as the Clean Water Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act.

BP has set aside $32 billion (with a B) to prepare for possible levies and fines while everything is under scrutiny. The dead must be proven to have been damaged by the oil to be considered part of the fines. With the vast majority not having obvious signs of oil damage, scientists must dig deeper to find cause of death.