Record-breaking sea turtle nesting season continues on Florida's Space Coast

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Sea turtle nesting is on pace for a record year along Florida's Space Coast, with thousands more nests already recorded than in previous seasons and nearly two months remaining before nesting season ends.

Biologists at Canaveral National Seashore have documented more than 17,000 sea turtle nests this year, surpassing the previous record of more than 16,000 set in 2023. 

What they're saying:

Researchers monitor every nest using GPS coordinates, recording when eggs are laid, the species and the expected hatch date.

"It's just keeps going," said Laura Henning, public affairs officer for Canaveral National Seashore. "The nests just keep coming."

The record-setting trend extends farther south at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, where loggerhead sea turtles have already broken a nesting record that stood since 1998. More than 21,800 loggerhead nests have been recorded so far this season.

"We have a record-breaking year in the Archie Carr Refuge for the loggerhead sea turtle," said Cyndi Stinson of the Sea Turtle Preservation Society.

Researchers say the record numbers are encouraging, but hatchlings still face significant threats from boat strikes, plastics and pollution before they reach adulthood.

"The juveniles still face heavy threats with boating, plastics and pollution," Stinson said.

Conservationists are urging boaters and beachgoers to help protect hatchlings, warning that sea turtles born this year will not return to nest for decades.

"If we aren't protecting the young turtles, the hatchlings, the juveniles and the subadults, then we could face a bottleneck years down the road," Stinson said.

What's next:

Sea turtle nesting season continues through the end of October, meaning this year's record totals could climb even higher.

Brevard CountyWild NatureNews