Sea turtles have a successful season

The middle of the night isn’t what most people would consider prime beach time. 

But if you’re a female sea turtle, it’s an ideal time to come ashore to nest.

Loggerheads are the most common sea turtles to nest in these parts, and they’ve been dragging their 200- to 350-pound bodies from the water to the sand to lay their eggs for millions of years. They tend to return to the same general area to nest, which is an amazing feat since they have brains that are about the size of an adult human thumb.

“They have tiny, tiny pea brains that are really not built for cognitive problem solving,” says Melissa Macksey, senior biologist in the Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. “They’re very instinct driven ... and are somehow still able to migrate thousands of miles across the ocean and find the area where they are supposed to nest. To be able to do that with a tiny pea-size brain is so incredible to me.”

In 2024, Mote logged 4,325 loggerhead nests and 42 green turtle nests in the area from Longboat Key to Venice. That’s on par with recent years and continues the exponential growth in sea turtle nesting Mote has been seeing since the early 2000s. That growth is thanks to some forward thinking in years past. “We have to give a lot of credit to people working 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago on conservation efforts,” says Macksey.

That includes things like the Endangered Species Act becoming law in 1973 (sea turtles are protected under that law) and the establishment of Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program in 1982.

Cyndi Seamon first volunteered with Longboat Key Turtle Watch in 2003, after moving to the area from Minnesota. She’s now the vice president of the nonprofit, which helps monitor the northern section of Longboat Key under the permit issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and held by Mote. Seamon and other volunteers do everything from mark and monitor nests to educational outreach.

“I didn’t know anything about sea turtles, coming from the Midwest,” she says. “But if we can have a healthy place for them to live and nest, then it’s a healthy place for us to enjoy the beach, enjoy the water and enjoy our environment. That’s why we live down here, to enjoy the beach and the water and everything that goes with it.”

Sea turtles like our beaches and many others in Florida for some pretty simple reasons. “Any sandy beach is a potential nesting beach in an area that has the right climate for it,” says Macksey. “But beaches that are generally more sloped with a bigger grain size that’s not holding as much water tend to host more nests than areas that are really smooth and flat and hard packed with fine sand. North Siesta has a really pretty beach for people, but turtles don’t seem to love it as much as other areas.”

If you’re on our beaches between May and October (and sometimes even earlier), you’ll probably spot the familiar markings of sea turtle nesting season: wooden stakes connected by tape bearing a sign with the words “Do Not Disturb: Sea Turtle Nest.” These cordoned-off nests can be found high up on the sand or closer to the water, depending on where the turtle felt inspired to lay her eggs.

Photo by Bekah Horsley / Mote Marine Laboratory

“There’s a lot of variation that helps them hedge their bets as to which nests are going to survive,” says Macksey. “They might lay as many eggs as they can in as many different environments as possible so hopefully someone will survive to replace them.”

Macksey says there were about 3,000 nests on the beaches Mote monitors when Hurricane Debby traveled along the Gulf Coast in August, and about 1,200 of those were lost to the storm. When Hurricane Helene came along in September 2024, all nests still remaining at the point were wiped out.

Hurricanes aren’t the only challenges sea turtles have to deal with. Climate change is also causing questions and concerns as water and sand temperatures rise. “Males incubate at cooler temperatures, so there’s always talk at turtle conferences of, ‘Are there too many females being produced? What is the sex ratio we want in order to have enough males?’” says Macksey.

Climate change can also cause habitat loss. And powerful hurricanes not only impact turtle nests but also dunes and other beach vegetation. 

All told, while sea turtles keep on coming, and laying eggs along the beaches, us humans can keep on helping them thrive.

“If turtles aren’t doing well, that means a lot of other things aren’t doing well,” says Macksey. “Turtles have been around for millions of years and have been able to tolerate a whole lot of change that has happened on Earth. The way their populations grow and shrink is kind of a sign of how healthy the Earth is in general.

“Do we really want to be what causes the downfall of a species that has been around for millions of years and been able to survive things that even the dinosaurs couldn’t?” she continues. “Or do we want to help make it a better place for everybody?”