So Texas, let's go beachcombing.

This week, I came across something I definitely wasn't expecting to find during my beach survey, a live sea urchin floating on a piece of debris.

It was an Atlantic purple sea urchin, a species I normally associate with rocky areas such as jetties.

This one was miles away from the nearest jetty, apparently catching a ride on debris that eventually washed ashore.

When I picked it up, I realized it was still alive.

Fortunately, I carry a glass jar with me for exactly this reason.

You never know what live animal might need a little help getting back home.

And according to marine scientist Jace Tunnell, who is the director of community engagement at the Harte Research Institute and founder of Nurdle Patrol, a citizen-led science project tracking these pre-production plastics, an alarming amount of these raw materials end up in local waterways before ever being molded into anything.

Yeah, from the data that's come in to NurdlePatrol.org, uh, it's showing that Texas is the worst in the world.

Uh, and there's some areas that are worse than others, and it just so happens that manufacturing is one of the areas where you find the highest concentrations.

And once again, those ocean currents come into play, because Neil's beach is not only affected by nearby plastic production facilities, but even larger operations further north.

Then once you get to Galveston Bay and the Houston area, that's really the mecca of plastic manufacturing in the country

But this week, he found something rather extraordinary, a jellyfish that's normally found down under, you know, Australia.

One of the highlights from this week's beachcombing survey was finding about a dozen Australian white spotted jellyfish scattered along the shoreline.

They were impossible to miss, with some appearing crystal clear, others a rich brown, and a few glowing brilliant blue in the sunlight.

The most striking feature is the top of the bell, which is covered with countless tiny white spots that resemble a star-filled night sky.

Turn one over, however, and you'll find something completely different.

Instead of long trailing tentacles, the underside is filled with thick, frilly oral arms that resemble a bouquet of cauliflower.

These oral arms are used to capture tiny plankton and other microscopic food drifting through the water.

He wants folks all over the world in every community to be doing nurdle surveys near where they live.

You know, the whole reason for doing this is for making sure that the next generation isn't having to worry about these plastics in the environment.

And so my ultimate goal was to be to where somebody goes out and they see, do these 10-minute surveys and they're finding zero in areas where they used to find hundreds.

That's what we're targeted on.

That's Chief Jace to us Nurdle Patrolers, because we've been working together on a top-secret project, and I've got this never-before-heard top-secret file from Chief Jace to learn about this mission.

Greetings, Nurdle Patrol recruits.

Today, our world is facing a problem.

Tiny plastic pellets called nurdles are washing up in many places on Earth, on beaches, on riverbanks, around lakes or water reservoirs.