Sea turtle nesting season is not yet over, but Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program (STCRP) has already recorded a 38-year-record number of nests in the Sarasota area. STCRP monitors sea turtle nesting on the 35-mile stretch of beaches from Longboat Key through Venice.

As of August 4, Mote’s STCRP has documented a total of 5,063 nests across all sea turtle species—4,888 loggerhead nests, 170 green turtle nests and five other nests. For the first time in the program’s history, there are at least two green sea turtle nests on every key/region in Mote’s area of monitoring.

In addition to record nesting numbers, STCRP has also been busy tagging a record number of nesting females. As of July 31, STCRP tagged 468 turtles, compared to 2016's record of 451 turtles tagged. The team also logged a record number of turtle encounters, 719.

Mote’s long-term tagging and nesting data are crucial for determining estimates and trends for sea turtle populations in the area, and can answer important questions such as how well local nesting females survive year to year, how often females return to a specific site, how far apart a female spreads her nests and how many turtles enter the nesting population each year.

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium