SARASOTA, Fla. — Turtle conservationists are seeing a mixed bag when it comes to the results of 2023’s sea turtle nesting season, which officially ended on Oct. 31.
Mote's Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program (which patrols 35 miles of beach coastline from Longboat Key to Venice) recorded a total of 4,284 (compared to the current record of 5,112 in 2019) nests across all sea turtle species (4,091 loggerhead nests and 193 green nests).
The program also documented the highest number of green turtle nests ever on Venice.
Mote researchers said even though Hurricane Idalia impacted beaches towards the end of the season, its impact on nesting was low. Scientists add that 75% of nests had hatched prior to the storm’s arrival.
The majority of the remaining nests were washed out by the storm. However, sea turtles have a natural instinct to nest several times in one season, which is helpful when major storms pass through.
Mote scientists told ABC Action News that they are encouraged by the numbers, especially when it comes to green sea turtle nesting numbers. According to MOTE, green sea turtle nesting numbers have dramatically increased in the last decade.
“This year’s total is the fifth highest overall since our program began 42 years ago,” said Mote Senior Biologist Melissa Macksey. “Over decades, we have learned and are still learning a great deal about the nesting behaviors of sea turtles individually and at the population level, impacts of human activity and animal predators, sea turtle population trends, and more.”
Lynne Byrd, rehabilitation manager at Mote, said tracking the success of turtle nesting season is important.
"These animals have been around for millions of years. They are a part of our ecosystem right. So we look at them. They are great indicator species to let us know what is going on in our oceans or if it's healthy," she said.
Macksey said the improved numbers could be a result of efforts from decades ago.
"The 70's is when the endangered species act went into effect and so that's when protections against all sorts of things for all species now considered endangered," said Macksey.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium also compiled its sea turtle data recently. CMA documented over 227 sea turtle nests. CMA biologists monitor 21 miles of coastline in Pinellas County.
CMA said while sea turtle nests documented on the east coast of Florida were up, it saw a decrease in turtle nests this year.
Sadly, CMA leaders said Hurricane Idalia may be to blame for some of the lackluster numbers. They added there were 75 nests before Hurricane Idalia, and the team was only able to recover 14 after the hurricane.
“Unfortunately, the nests pre-Idalia were almost all lost due to the high tides and flooding on our barrier islands,” according to Carly Oakley, senior biologist of the Sea Turtle Conservation Program at CMA.
CMA said that was compounded by a lower nesting year, adding that they believe the nesting females in Pinellas County tend to be on a three-year cycle.
Female sea turtles lay multiple nests in one season. In each nest, there can be anywhere between 80-120 eggs in each nest, according to CMA conservationists.
After the season, they tend to take a one to two-year break in between breeding seasons.
But CMA said there is positive news as well.
“Even though we had a lower nest number, we saw a great hatch success from all of our nests this season, and we were able to help approximately 12,000 hatchlings make it out and to the water,” according to Oakley.
CMA also logged two green turtle nests on the beach this season.
CMA leaders said this year’s biggest challenge was disorientation events, which is when turtles get distracted or disoriented by bright lights. They documented nearly 100 disorientations.
Pinellas County is one of the most densely populated counties in Florida. Biologists said artificial lighting is a constant challenge for nesting sea turtles.
