The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released the 2024 sea turtle nesting updates on Friday.
Preliminary numbers show that 2024 will be a record-breaking year for Kemp's ridley nests in Florida.
Although 22 nests might not seem impressive, it's a big deal for Kemp's ridley turtles, who mainly nest in the Western Gulf of Mexico but have a few nest sites across Florida.
Loggerheads and leatherbacks are continuing to have a good season as well.
While green turtle numbers appear low, these numbers aren't unexpected, as FWC says its monitoring efforts show a natural ebb and flow in the number of green turtle nests laid each year.
FWC says the numbers do not concern its team, particularly after last year's record-breaking nest numbers and a positive trend among the new number of nests in recent years.
Here are the statewide preliminary totals as of June 30:
- 67,856 loggerhead nests (compared to 92,547 in 2023 and 72,840 in 2022)
- 2,556 green turtle nests (compared to 24,378 in 2023 and 7,346 in 2022)
- 1,737 leatherback nests (compared to 1,638 in 2023 and 1,690 in 2022)
- 22 confirmed Kemp’s ridley nests (compared to 10 in 2023 and 8 in 2022)