If it seems like sea turtle nesting season got off to a fast start this year, it’s because it did.
The first sea turtle nest of the year arrived April 25 — before the season’s official May 1 start — and earlier than any other year on record in Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring statistics.
The numbers date back to 1982.
In the 33 years of record keeping, sea turtles nested in April in only three other years.
And AMITW executive director Suzi Fox thinks these signs point to another big year for sea turtle nesting.
“Last year on May 24 we had 11 nests. This year we had 51,” said Fox.
Turtles nest when the Gulf waters hit 80 degrees, so an early nesting year is often weather dependent. However, the number of nests and hatching success are another matter.
Some factors of success, said Fox, are education and work by Anna Maria Island community members and visitors.
“Now it’s paying off. For the last 10 years we have had more than 10,000 residents, visitors and business owners that make sea turtle protection a priority,” she said.
In 1995, Fox took over as director from former Anna Maria Mayor Chuck Shumard. She said AMITW began an ambitious education campaign in 2000, with volunteers manning booths at festivals and providing information and collaborating with local schools and hosting speakers for community groups.
“It was the turning point to work with people on lighting and beach practices,” she said.
The highest number of nests in a season — 370 — was recorded in 2013. The previous year, 2012, also was a high year, bringing 362 nests to Anna Maria Island shores. The total numbers of nests in 2014 fell shy of its preceding years at 260, but still contributed to an upward trend in nesting activity.
According to AMITW statistics, there has been an upward trend for nests since 2004, when 100 nests were recorded.
Another peak in numbers was noted between 1998 and 2000 with a high of 255 nests and a low of 207.
The lowest number of nests recorded was 20 nests in 1983. The turtle watch began keeping records in 1982.
Key to the program’s success is the volunteer force, Fox said. AMITW consistently has about 100 volunteers.
“We have the largest volunteer base doing turtle work in the state of Florida,” Fox said.
Another factor impacting the success of sea turtle nests is storms. Nesting season and hurricane season overlap and often storm events can influence the data.
For example, while 2012 had the highest number of nests of any season on record, the number of hatchlings to the Gulf — 12,723 — was less than 2014 when 100 fewer nests were recorded. In 2014, 18,257 hatchlings made it to the Gulf.
Data gets reported to Manatee County, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.