Loggerhead season has begun in Georgia. Here’s what experts expect

Dodd, a senior wildlife biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources, indicated that while many expect a busy nesting season, the turtles can be unpredictable. “Just when you think we have it figured out, the turtles go do something different,” Dodd said.

Despite year-to-year variations in nest counts, the loggerhead population has been increasing by about 4% annually since the early 1990s. Population modeling, developed by DNR, the University of Georgia and the U.S. Geological Survey, suggests the population will plateau for over a decade due to low recruitment in the early 2000s. However, with continued protections, numbers are projected to grow again, potentially reaching levels not seen since the late 1950s.

The National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have set a recovery goal of 2,800 nests per year for these federally protected turtles. Two of the last four summers have exceeded this target.

The Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative, a DNR-coordinated network of about 200 volunteers, researchers and agency employees, focuses on helping loggerheads meet this recovery goal. Cooperators patrol beaches daily during nesting season under a DNR permit, marking, monitoring and protecting loggerhead nests, along with those of other species like green and Kemp’s ridley turtles.

This cooperative collects critical data to analyze loggerhead populations, assess threats and inform management. The program also assists with beach management, including curbing predators and has been active on Georgia beaches for more than 30 years.

Dodd said consistent data collection is important to help these turtles thrive.

“Just like the turtles, we’re here every year,” Dodd said. “To monitor wildlife populations you often need a long-term data set to figure out what’s going on. The more data we have, the better we understand the status of the species.”

The cooperative’s efforts in surveying each barrier island beach daily have contributed to the turtles’ recovery, Dodd said.

“We started out averaging about 850 nests a year, and in the last six years we’re just more than 3,000 nests a year,” he said.

Loggerheads, named for their large heads, typically crawl ashore on barrier island beaches at night to dig holes at the base of dunes and lay their eggs. Preparations for the season included Dodd and his staff training interns, working with volunteers and partner agencies, moving equipment and collaborating with DNR’s Law Enforcement Division. Game wardens enforce regulations like the use of turtle excluder devices in commercial shrimping.

The process observed on St. Catherines and Cumberland islands involved collecting one egg from each nest for UGA genetic analysis. This egg represents less than 1% of the average clutch size and helps document the number and relatedness of nesting loggerheads in Georgia. Nests are then covered with a screen to protect the eggs from predators.

DNR’s Wildlife Conservation Section works to conserve sea turtles and other non-hunted wildlife, as well as rare plants and natural habitats. This work is primarily supported by public contributions through fundraisers and grants, including sales and renewals of specialty license plates such as the monarch butterfly and bald eagle designs, which direct up to $20 of their cost to wildlife conservation.

The nest monitoring and protection process, including genetic analysis of eggs, will be repeated hundreds of times throughout the current loggerhead nesting season in Georgia.

How you can help

Marine turtles in Georgia are protected by state and federal law. Here’s how you can help, according to the experts at the state’s Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

• Minimize beachfront lighting during sea turtle nesting season. Turn off, shield and use turtle-friendly lighting.
• When walking the beach at night, don’t use flashlights and flash photography. The light can deter turtles from coming ashore to nest or cause them to abort nesting.
• If you encounter a sea turtle on the beach, remain quiet, still and at a distance.
• Leave turtle tracks undisturbed. Researchers use them to identify the species and mark nests for protection.
• Properly dispose of your garbage. Turtles may mistake plastic bags, Styrofoam and trash floating in the water as food. Ingesting trash can kill them by clogging their intestines.
• Protect beach vegetation: It stabilizes sand and the natural coastline.
• When boating, stay alert and avoid turtles. Of the 72 sea turtles found dead or hurt in Georgia last year, 24 percent that could be assessed had suffered injuries consistent with being hit by a boat. Boaters who hit a sea turtle are urged to stand-by and immediately call DNR at 800-2-SAVE-ME (800-272-8363).
• Also report any dead or injured sea turtles seen at 800-272-8363. (If the turtle is tagged, include the tag color and number in the report if possible.)
• Anglers who hook or entangle a sea turtle should call DNR at 800-2-SAVE-ME (800-272-8363). Also:
• Keep your hands away from the turtle’s mouth and flippers.
• Safely land the turtle using a net or by walking it to shore. Do not lift the turtle by the hook or by pulling on the line.
• Leave the hook in place; removing it can cause more damage. (Anglers are encouraged to use non-stainless, barbless hooks when possible.)
• Keep the turtle out of direct sunlight and cover it with a damp towel.

For more information about loggerheads

• Georgia nesting updates by beach: 
• Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative: https://georgiawildlife.com  (also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/228230141073849)
• Loggerhead profile: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/loggerhead-turtle

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