Tortugas turtle count sets new loggerhead record

Lots of loggerhead sea turtle mothers lumbered ashore to dig what could be a record number of Florida Keys nests for the protected species.

The nesting season in Dry Tortugas National Park was spectacular, said Kayla Nimmo, a biologist with the National Park Service.

“We set a new record for number of loggerhead turtle nests with 320 nests,” Nimmo said in an e-mail this week. “They kept the park's sea turtle interns and myself busy all summer.”

That may be more than double of the previous record for loggerhead nests in the Dry Tortugas, she said.

“We are currently busy conducting inventories of hatched nests to examine the clutch contents,” Nimmo said. “ Most of our nests have been very successful this year with large clutch sizes and high proportions of eggs hatching.”

Under a new program launched by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, turtle staff in the Tortugas conducted turtle-education sessions for park campers, then allowed them to take part in releasing hatchlings that were “entrapped” in the nests or shells.

“The new program has been an overwhelming success and has helped educate the public on sea turtle conservation,” Nimmo said.

In 2015, the Tortugas saw green sea turtles dig a record 472 nests. The number of green turtle nests dropped to 77 this season but the decline for the species was expected, Nimmo said.

“Sea turtles generally nest every two to three years,” she said. “Due to the cyclic nature of turtle nesting, it is anticipated that next year will again be a high year” for green turtles.

In late August, Save-A-Turtle volunteers in the Keys reported finding “about 300” turtle nests along the shore from Key Largo down to the Boca Chica Naval Air Station. Not all will hatch but many will.

“I’ve been involved for 14 or 15 years and this is probably the busiest year yet,” group President Harry Appel said. “The turtles are doing great.”

Nests will continue to hatch into October. Only authorized people are legally allowed to handle any sea-turtle species.

“ ‘Hands off!’ is the best policy for beachgoers,” the FWC says in a statement. “Even well-meaning attempts to rescue sea-turtle hatchlings can do more harm than good. Digging into a sea-turtle nest, entering a posted area, or picking up a sea turtle hatchling to take a photo are against the law.”

This story was originally published September 14, 2016 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Tortugas turtle count sets new loggerhead record."