As one door closes another rapidly approaches!

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.

These 2 baby turtles are the last to hatch from nests laid during the 2014 nesting season. DoE staff found them trapped by roots when the last nest was excavated (checked to evaluate hatch success and fertility rate). They will be released after dark on the beach where they were found and will join the 16,998 baby turtles which have already hatched on our beaches this year. We hope that one day they will be back to nest on our shores and replenish our wild sea turtle nesting population.