FL - Mote Reports Record-Breaking 2023 Sea Turtle Nesting Season

Sea turtle nesting season officially concluded on Florida’s Southwest coast on Oct. 31, and Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program (STCRP)—which patrols 35 miles of shore from Longboat Key to Venice each day of nesting season—has reported its findings. In short: 2023 was another record-breaking nesting season.

Throughout the season, the STCRP recorded a total of 4,284 nests across all sea turtle species—specifically, 4,091 loggerhead turtle nests and 193 green turtle nests. The program also documented the highest numbers of sea turtle nests—and specifically, the highest number of green turtle nests—ever in Venice. The current record for overall sea turtle nests was 5,112 nests in 2019.

Even though Hurricane Idalia impacted beaches towards the end of the season, its impact on nesting was low, with 75 percent of nests completing incubation prior to the storm’s arrival. The majority of the remaining nests were washed out by the storm; however, sea turtles have a natural instinct to nest several times in one season, which can offset natural events.

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The success of recent nesting seasons could be a result of the long-standing program and local engagement, giving the next generation of sea turtles a better chance of survival.

“Science-based sea turtle conservation is critical for maintaining endangered and threatened species populations,” says Dr. Michael P. Crosby, Mote’s president and CEO. “Mote translates and transfers the interwoven science of our Sea Turtle Conservation and Research program, Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital and Strandings Investigations Research program to protect and rehabilitate these animals and their habitats. An example of a highly visible outcome of our work is the recently established voluntary Sea Turtle Protection Zone for boaters in our local waters.”