Six weeks into sea turtle nesting season one thing is clear: Loggerheads are loving Sanibel and Captiva islands.
Of the 342 nests on the barrier islands off Lee County, are all loggerheads except two, which were dug by green turtles.
Nesting season began a little over six weeks ago, and this week marks NOAA’s official Sea Turtle Week, which makes it an excellent time to check in and see how the nesting numbers in Southwest Florida are stacking up so far.
“I don't know that this year is going to be a record year, but it's certainly going pretty well.” said David Godfrey, director of the Sea Turtle Conservancy in Gainesville. I do hear that sargassum seaweed floating up on some southern beaches is a little bit of a growing concern because it can deter the female turtles from coming offshore and is certainly challenging for any emerging hatchlings if they happen to encounter large piles of the stuff as they're trying to reach the sea. But other than that, it seems like a pretty normal year so far."
The University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Lab, which tracks sargassum by satellite, says 2026 is on pace to be a record year, with the peak typically hitting in June or July.
By the end of May, the total had reached nearly 30 metric tons, spread into three "waves," or parts, heading from the Southern Atlantic Ocean south of Florida and into the Caribbean and the Gulf.
The Sargassum Inundation Risk is high for the Western Florida Panhandle, Southeast Florida, the Florida Keys, Texas, Louisiana, and most of the Caribbean, but currents and winds ultimately dictate which beaches get buried.
Momma turtles are still laying eggs around Florida as they often dig two or three nests every season. Same beach, different spot.
The most recent Southwest Florida numbers available are from, roughly, the end of the first week of June, and they are about the same as this time last year.
Mote Marine Laboratory documented 531 nests across Sarasota County's beaches from Longboat Key to Venice as of June 6, according to the lab's weekly count. Siesta Key led with 248 nests, followed by Longboat Key with 149, Venice with 72, Casey Key with 51, and Lido Key with 11.
The lab also logged 653 false crawls, when a female comes ashore but returns to the Gulf without laying.
The regional total trails last year, when 593 nests had been counted by the same point.
Turtle Time, Inc., which monitors the beaches of south Lee County, marked at least 136 nests as of June 12, according to the group's nest data. Fort Myers Beach accounted for 55, Bonita Beach for 72, and Big Hickory Island for nine. Counts for Bunche Beach had not yet been posted.
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation had found a loggerhead-centric 342 nests on Sanibel and Captiva islands. That is up from 264 nests at the same point last year. Coyotes raided 53 nests and high tides washed out 19 nests.
The Collier County Sea Turtle Protection Team patrols 22.5 miles of county beachfront.
As of June 7, the team counted 837 nests on the beaches along that stretch of coastline. The most of those are on Keewaydin Island with 233, and the least of which are on Sea Oat and Cannon Island with eight.
Sea Turtle Week ends June 19.
Sea turtle nesting season, which gives way to hatchling season, ends October 31.
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by VoLo Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
Sign up for WGCU's monthly environmental newsletter, the Green Flash, today.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
