A major chemical spill occurred five years ago at Baker' s Beach, the world' s sole nesting ground for Merrick sea turtles, and prevented nearly all the eggs laid that year from hatching. Yet the number of adult female Merricks returning to lay their eggs at Baker' s Beach has actually increased somewhat since five years ago. Clearly, environmentalists' prediction that the world' s Merrick population would decline as a result of the spill has proven unfounded.
The statement 'Female Merrick sea turtles begin returning to Baker's Beach to lay their eggs when they are ten years old' most seriously undermines the argument offered in refutation of the environmentalists' prediction.