BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Georgia’s loggerhead sea turtle nesting season is officially underway, with three islands reporting their first nests over the weekend.
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Jekyll, Wassaw, and Blackbeard islands each saw the arrival of loggerhead nests, marking the beginning of what experts anticipate will be another active nesting season.
" It’s like clockwork,” remarked Georgia Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Mark Dodd, emphasizing the turtles’ consistent arrival around the first of May.
While daily nest monitoring on all Georgia beaches typically begins in mid-May, early nests were discovered on Blackbeard and Wassaw islands by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff, with the first nest on Jekyll reported by the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.
Predicting the outcome of the nesting season remains uncertain, but computer modeling suggests a low to medium productivity year based on a three-year pattern in the region.
Despite expectations, last year’s nest count surpassed 3,400 nests, indicating a strong recovery from previous years.
The loggerhead population has been steadily increasing, with efforts from organizations like the Sea Turtle Cooperative playing a crucial role in their conservation.
Dodd emphasized the importance of long-term data collection in understanding population dynamics and threats to loggerheads.
The cooperative’s work surveying each barrier island beach daily has helped empower the massive turtles’ slow recovery. “We started out averaging about 850 nests a year and in the last five years we’re right at 3,000 nests,” Dodd said.
Preparations for the nesting season have been underway, including training interns, coordinating with volunteers and partner agencies, and enforcing regulations to protect sea turtles, such as using turtle excluder devices in commercial shrimping.
DNR’s Wildlife Conservation Section works to conserve sea turtles and other wildlife not legally fished for or hunted, as well as rare plants and natural habitats. The agency does this largely through public support from fundraisers, grants and contributions.
Key fundraisers include sales of the monarch butterfly license plates and sales and renewals of bald eagle plate and older designs, such as the ruby-throated hummingbird. These tags cost only $25 more than a standard plate to buy or renew. Up to $20 of that fee goes to help wildlife.
As the nesting season progresses, beachgoers and boaters are reminded to minimize disturbances to nesting turtles and to report any encounters or accidental catches to the authorities. Conservation efforts are vital to the survival of loggerhead sea turtles, which face various threats, including habitat loss and unintentional capture.
With the nesting season officially underway, conservationists and volunteers are gearing up for a busy season ahead, dedicated to protecting these iconic marine creatures and ensuring their continued survival for generations to come.
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The annual loggerhead nest totals in Georgia since comprehensive surveys began in 1989 show fluctuations over the years:
- 1989 – 675
- 1990 – 1,031
- 1991 – 1,101
- 1992 – 1,048
- 1993 – 470
- 1994 – 1,360
- 1995 – 1,022
- 1996 – 1,096
- 1997 – 789
- 1998 – 1,055
- 1999 – 1,406
- 2000 – 1,060
- 2001 – 852
- 2002 – 1,028
- 2003 – 1,504
- 2004 – 358
- 2005 – 1,187
- 2006 – 1,389
- 2007 – 689
- 2008 – 1,649
- 2009 – 997
- 2010 – 1,761
- 2011 – 1,992
- 2012 – 2,241
- 2013 – 2,289
- 2014 – 1,201
- 2015 – 2,335
- 2016 – 3,289
- 2017 – 2,155
- 2018 – 1,735
- 2019 – 3,950
- 2020 – 2,786
- 2021 – 2,493
- 2022 – 4,071
- 2023 – 3,431
Source: Georgia DNR
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