According to aquarium officials on Friday, sea turtle nests along a portion of Florida’s Gulf Coast expanded this year before being wiped away by three hurricanes.
Along a 21-mile stretch of beach that their teams patrol during nesting season, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium recorded 271 nests this year. In 2023, there will be 227 nests.
Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton swept out “a large percentage” of active nests, according to a news release from the aquarium. On beaches south of Clearwater, turtle nesting season normally lasts from mid-April until the end of October.
The months of June through November are hurricane season in the Atlantic.
This year also saw the discovery of a leatherback turtle nest in Pinellas County for the first time. Additionally, the patrol team from the aquarium saw the leatherback hatchlings heading out to sea.
Two green turtle nests were also recorded.
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The most common type of turtle that lays its eggs on Florida beaches is the loggerhead, which makes up the majority of the nests in the region.
Nest totals for the entire state of Florida for 2024 have not yet been released by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
A state record set in 2016 was broken by the 133,840 loggerhead nests in 2023, and the 76,500 green turtle nests were much more than the 2017 total.
