Volusia County sea turtle experts say the biggest thing you can do to help nesting mothers and their hatchlings during this time is to pick up any litter on the beach. "We won't see those years where we only have 200 nests again, hopefully, but who knows what the turtles are doing, only they know," said McCorkle. While it is hard for experts to know exactly why this is happening, they hope its a sign of good things to come.
Hopefully thats a good sign that the species is making a comeback," said Walsh.
"It's not just Volusia County, not just Daytona Beach, it's the entire state of Florida, as well as Georgia and the Carolinas - they are all seeing increases in their nests. Volusia County isn't the only area experiencing this year's surge of mother turtles.ĭuring one week last month, the Canaveral National Seashore recorded 234 nests laid in just one night - bringing the total to over 7,600 this year alone. "I think it goes to prove that our habitat conservation plan, which we developed back in 1996, has actually worked, and it's actually been used as a model across the country for other habitat conservation plans," Walsh said. This year breaks their all-time record of 919 nests set in 2012. We are getting closer to our record,” said Samantha McCorkle, who also works with Volusia County's Sea Turtle program. "Moms don't nest every single year - they nest either every other or every third (year), so we see spikes and low years, but this spike is definitely a very high one. Turtle Watch Programs give park visitors an opportunity to learn about sea turtles and the role that the National Park Service plays in their conservation. So far in 2019, 922 nests have been recorded. Journey with a National Park Ranger and visit the undisturbed beaches of Canaveral National Seashore to watch a loggerhead sea turtle nesting. "The last couple years we've really seen an increase in the average number of nests," he continued. We do anticipate hopefully breaking our record," said Rob Walsh of Volusia County's Sea Turtle Program. Florida, Georgia and Carolinas seeing increaseĮxperts say it's very likely this year will set new records.Over 920 nests have been recorded so far.Hundreds of sea turtles are descending on Volusia County beaches to lay their eggs.
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