Anyone who has been out to the beach on Anna Maria Island has probably noticed the shore is lined with clearly marked nests, a sign that it’s turtle nesting season.
Nesting season typically runs through the end of August, but the island has already seen a record number of nests.
“We’re very excited. We have record number of nests on the beach, all laid by loggerhead sea turtles,” Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella said.
As of Monday morning, there were 595 nests on Anna Maria Island.
Last Wednesday, the island surpassed the previously set record in 2019. That year, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch documented 543 nests on the island.
But the season is far from over. With an average of two months’ time before a nest hatches, hatchlings could make their debut in the world through the end of October.
“That’s the most important thing, that we want to make sure these are successful nests, which means that hatchlings are getting to the water,” Mazzarella said.
Education has been key to conservation efforts on the island.
Volunteers monitor the beaches every morning and distribute literature around the island, including to local businesses.
The biggest tips Turtle Watch wants people to remember is to keep lights off the beach at night, cover holes and knock over sandcastles, and take all your stuff with you, including any trash
New college student Caleb Jameson grew up on local beaches and has been volunteering for years.
“Seeing the nest number continually increase is super encouraging and sure exciting and I am just happy to be a part of it,” Jameson said.
On Monday morning, he rescued a hatchling that had ended up in a resident’s pool instead of out in the Gulf.
“I think a lot of people are very excited about the turtles when they hear that sea turtles are nesting here,” Mazzarella said. “So, they definitely want to what they can to help the turtles.”
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