SAVANNAH, Ga. - Georgia finished its nesting season for rare loggerhead sea turtles with a record 1,646 nests counted along the state’s 100-mile coast, and researchers reported higher than average numbers in the Carolinas as well.

The 2008 season marked the 20th year biologists and volunteers have tallied loggerhead nests on Georgia beaches. This year’s count exceeded by 9 percent the previous record of 1,504 nests in 2003.

Department of Natural Resources biologist Mark Dodd, who was able to announce Georgia’s record season in August before the final count was in, said Wednesday it’s too early to say if the state’s nesting population is rebounding after staying relatively flat since 1989.

“When you get one of these high years like this, you always hope this is the beginning of an increasing trend,” said Dodd, coordinator of the Georgia sea turtle recovery program.

The overall population of the massive turtles, which weigh up to 300 pounds, remains fragile. The federal government is considering a proposal to classify loggerheads as endangered, possibly by early 2009, after 30 years of listing them as a threatened species.

Female loggerheads lay their eggs from May through August on southern beaches from Florida to the Carolinas, and eggs continue to hatch into October. Researchers use nest counts as a barometer for the overall health of the population, as the turtles spend most of the year at sea.

Nesting numbers were not immediately available for Florida, which accounts for 90 percent of U.S. loggerhead nests. Anne Meylan and Beth Brost, who monitor sea turtle nests for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, were both away from their offices Wednesday.

South Carolina tallied 4,500 nests for its best season since 1999 — and its fifth highest total since 1980, said DuBose Griffin, the state’s sea turtle coordinator.

Final numbers weren’t in for North Carolina, though sea turtle biologist Matthew Godfrey said at least 832 nests have been counted. He said that’s well above the state’s 10-year average of 715 nests per season.

The counts in all three states include turtle nests destroyed by Tropical Storms Fay and Hanna in September and August, meaning a number of nests produced no hatchlings. Dodd and Griffin said Georgia and South Carolina lost more than 100 nests each.

“Because we had two big storms, it was more significant than other years,” Griffin said. “It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t something I would say wiped out our good season.”

Researchers aren’t sure why 2008 was a good year for loggerhead nests, though year-to-year trends generally show a cycle of highs and lows.

Dodd noted just over 80 loggerheads have been found washed onto Georgia beaches this year — a low number considering as many as 300 have been recorded in recent years. He said fewer deaths may have resulted in part by fewer shrimp boats trawling in Georgia waters this year because of high fuel costs and low market prices for shrimp.

Still, Georgia has a long way to go to reach its goal of 2,000 loggerhead nests annually for a 25-year period.

“In Georgia, they’re still nesting probably at half or less of what they were 50 years ago,” Dodd said.

You must be logged in to comment.