EAI began daily sea turtle nesting surveys March 1, 2019 on approximately 50 miles of high-density sea turtle nesting beaches along Florida’s east coast. We are responsible for monitoring beaches in Volusia, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, and Palm Beach Counties. EAI is also conducting nesting sea turtle and migratory shorebird surveys on Cat Island and Ship Island off the coast of Mississippi supporting barrier island restoration projects.
Our busy summer season is approaching fast! As of May 20, our company-wide nest count had reached 153 for leatherbacks, 1,070 for loggerheads, and 2 for greens. Follow our Facebook page – Ecological Associates, Inc. – to see a weekly Turtle Tuesday update!
In 2018, EAI’s dedicated team documented a total of 10,425 loggerhead, 558 green turtle, and 270 leatherback nests across all its survey areas. Long-term nesting trends observed in EAI’s survey areas are generally consistent with statewide patterns.
You can help nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings by reducing artificial light, removing beach furniture and other items from the beach at night, and filling in holes on the beach. Please do not handle sea turtles, their hatchlings, or their eggs.