SCCF: Sea turtle hatchlings at 46,726 and counting

The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation reported that as the end of sea turtle season nears, the number of nests incubating on the beach continued to dwindle, with only five nests to hatch on Oct. 13. Although the season is not over quite yet, the SCCF is confident that it will continue to be a productive season as 46,726 hatchlings had already emerged as of last week. Green sea turtle nests experienced a high hatch rate of almost 74.5 percent, with 1,581 hatchlings emerging and three nests still remaining. While nests will continue to incubate into November, Sept. 30 marked the official last day of nesting season, signifying the end of the required monitoring for the Captiva beach renourishment project and Causeway Island Stabilization Project. As of Oct. 13, there were 5,395 hatchlings from relocated nests.