Halfway through season, turtle nests in Palm Beach have surpassed 2022 numbers

Carol Rose, Palm Beach Daily News
Updated ·3 min read
1
Pink ribbons and sticks are used to mark a turtle nest at Midtown Beach on Tuesday.
Pink ribbons and sticks are used to mark a turtle nest at Midtown Beach on Tuesday.

With sea turtle nesting season just past its halfway mark, the numbers for the island already have exceeded the tally for the entire 2022 season.

Preliminary numbers from the town's turtle monitor show that as of Sunday, a total of 8,423 nests had been found on the island, with the breakdown as follows: loggerhead, 7,892; green turtle, 398; and leatherback, 133. Turtle nesting season runs March 1 to Oct. 31 each year.

Through July 16 last year, the numbers were 6,267 loggerhead nests, 168 green turtle nests and 86 leatherback nests, for a total of 6,521 nests.

Christine Perretta, of DB Ecological Services Inc., who monitors nests on the island, told the Daily News on Tuesday that "this is very exciting news and we are well above the nesting activity we recorded at the same time in 2022. If all things continue to track as they are now this is will be one of the highest nesting seasons in the past several years."

During the entire 2022 season, 6,866 loggerhead turtles, 351 green turtles and 86 leatherback turtles — a total of 7,303 — nested along the town's shoreline. That compares with 7,060 loggerheads, 329 greens and 104 leatherbacks — a total of 7,493 — in 2021.

More: Palm Beach Fire-Rescue teams help rescue sea turtles trapped in rocks off coast

The increase in nesting activity seems to be a trend in many Southeast Florida locations, Perretta said, calling it very exciting and hopeful news for sea turtles.

However, "sea turtles are cyclic nesters, so we have to take great care in trying to interpret data trends. So we will remain thrilled with the progress and optimistic about the future," she added.

The town and its residents are great stewards of sea turtles, Perretta said, noting that the "beaches provide a lot of great nesting habitat for sea turtles, as you can tell from the numbers."

In northern Palm Beach County, scientists and volunteers have identified 17,138 sea turtle nests in the Juno Beach, Jupiter and Tequesta areas so far this summer, according to a news release issued last week by the Loggerhead Marinelife Center.

Loggerhead staff expect to the number to surpass last season's final number of 18,132 nests on the 9.5-mile stretch of beach they monitor.

More: Lights out! What to know as sea turtle nesting season begins

On average, sea turtles lay between 80 and 120 eggs per nest, according to the Sea Turtle Conservancy.

What to do if you see a sea turtle

  • Stay out of the sea turtle's way. Any distractions may frighten or disorient them, causing a female to return to the ocean before finishing her nest, or misdirecting a hatchling away from the water.

  • Don't use any flashlights, flash photography, or video equipment. This can cause a female to false crawl or lead a hatchling away from the water.

  • If you come across a sea turtle that is stranded or dead; a hatchling that is wandering in a road, parking lot, or directions other than the water; or if you see someone disturbing a nest or turtle, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Division of Law Enforcement at 1-888-404-FWCC or *FWC from your cellphone.

Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Halfway through season, turtle nests have surpassed 2022 numbers