Hello Fellow Followers!
Firstly a very Happy New Year to you all!
Today marked the day when turtle nesting season
2014 finally came to an end after an exceptional 8 month monitoring season. The
first recorded activity was back in the beginning of May with nesting carrying
on until November, making it the longest nesting season on record! Typically
the nesting season is between May and September while hatching typically takes
place between July and November. Is this extended nesting and hatching season a
reflection on what the future holds?
This year saw another successful year with
over 300 nests being reported for all three islands; 216 in Grand Cayman, 72 in
Little Cayman and 54 in Cayman Brac, with an average of 81% fertilization
success and a 68% hatch success. It is important to point out however, that the
total number of nests is not the same as the number of turtles that are
nesting. Each female can lay between 3-6 nests in one season so although the
number of nests is increasing and this is very encouraging to see, the total number
of nesting females is still very small and our nesting populations are very
much in need of protection.
So as we close the season for another year,
we only have to wait another 3 months before season 2015 starts back up again.
Who knows what next season will bring, but if you have made a News Year’s
resolution to get out and about more, then why not think about volunteering
with team. Find out more information on our website: http://www.doe.ky/marine/turtles/ or
call us on our turtle hotline: 938 (NEST) - 938-6378.
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