Turtle Tracks: St. Johns County sea turtle nests reach record-high of 1,160
Sea turtles nests in St. Johns County set a new record last week, according to St. Johns County Beaches.
The total number of nests on area beaches reached 1,160 during the week of July 31, breaking the 2019 record of 1,145.
Since the beginning of the season on May 1, 27,165 hatchlings have emerged, an increase of 11,600 over the past week.
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North beaches continue to lead the way with 864 reported nests, an increase of 26 over the past week. This is followed by Anastasia Island with 197 and Matanzas Inlet South with 99.
The endangered loggerhead sea turtles have 1,098 nests in St. Johns County, with 814 of those in north beaches. There are 45 green nests, 16 leatherback nests and one Kemp's ridley nest.
If a sea turtle is spotted or in distress, call the St. Johns County Sheriff's dispatch at 904-824-8304. For information, visit sjcfl.us/HCP/index.aspx.
Following is the count of the total sea turtle nests in St. Johns County as of Aug. 5, 2022, according to St. Johns County Beaches.
North beaches
Loggerheads: 814
Greens: 36
Leatherbacks: 13
Kemp’s ridley: 1
Subtotal: 864
Anastasia Island
Loggerheads: 195
Greens: 2
Leatherbacks: 0
Kemp’s ridley: 0
Subtotal: 197
Matanzas Inlet South
Loggerheads: 89
Greens: 7
Leatherbacks: 3
Kemp’s ridley: 0
Subtotal: 99
Total: 1,160
Sea turtle migration
Some sea turtle populations nest and feed in the same general areas; others migrate great distances.
The most common method used to track free-range sea turtles is flipper tagging; although this method does not reveal travel routes.
Recently, radio, sonic, and satellite tracking have been successful in monitoring sea turtle movements.
This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Florida sea turtle nests: St. Johns County reaches record high
