By Samara Paice
Islander Reporter
The 2022 hatchling count broke the previous record set in 2018.
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers counted 35,850 hatched eggs through Sept. 16.
The previous AMITW record was 35,788 hatched eggs in 2018.
There remain 92 nests to excavate and/or hatch so the numbers will continue to increase despite the impact of the king tides that occurred after the Sept. 10 full moon.
A nest excavated Sept. 20 near lifeguard tower No. 5 on Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach yielded an oddity — a double or merged egg.
Such an egg most likely is the result of a malfunction in the shell-secreting part of the nesting female’s oviduct.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission assistant research scientist Tonya Long said Sept. 21 it’s not that unusual to find merged eggs when excavating nests.
Sea Turtle Conservancy biologist Richard Herren said Sept. 21 nests with merged eggs tend to be linked to specific females.
In other news, Kerri, a green sea turtle rescued in a stranding by AMITW volunteers Aug. 23 near the Sandpiper Resort in Bradenton Beach has eaten a small amount of food and become more active while in recovery at the Mote Marine Turtle Hospital in Sarasota.
According to Mote’s Turtle Hospital staff, the turtle may have only partial vision in the right eye as a result of a boat strike.
Esther remains in 8th place
Esther, a loggerhead sea turtle tagged and released June 20 on Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach as part of the Tour de Turtles, stayed in eighth place through Sept. 22.
The Tour de Turtles hard-shell category started Aug. 1 and can be followed at tourdeturtles.org. The race ends Oct. 31.
Esther traveled 362 miles through Sept. 22.
Tour de Turtles is an educational effort led by the Sea Turtle Conservancy, which started in 2008 to educate and gather research data.
The Waterline Resort and Mainsail Vacation Rentals located on Marina Drive in Holmes Beach and AMITW worked with the conservancy to make the tagging of Esther possible.
Each turtle has a cause. Esther’s is light pollution.