2025 Sea Turtle Nesting – May Update
Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC
FWC
As of May 31st, loggerhead nesting is running behind the strong seasons we’ve seen the past two years. Leatherback nesting remains steady and slightly ahead of recent years. Kemp’s ridley nests, always rare in Florida, continue to be documented in small numbers thanks to the careful monitoring by our partners.
Green turtle nesting is slightly ahead of last year at this point but remains well below 2023 levels. Since green turtles often follow a pattern of high and low nesting years, 2025 was expected to be a strong year but it’s still early, and there’s plenty of season left for numbers to build.
Sea turtle nesting activity can naturally vary from year to year, and ongoing monitoring helps us track these fluctuations and better understand Florida’s nesting populations.
A huge thank you to all our partners and volunteers across the state for your hard work and dedication to this important community science effort. We’ll be back with another update next month!
Preliminary Statewide Nesting Totals as of May 31st:
• 20,530 loggerhead nests (27,135 in 2024; 36,514 in 2023; 13,036 in 2022)
• 87 green turtle nests (57 in 2024; 2,291 in 2023; 67 in 2022)
• 1,545 leatherback nests (1,445 in 2024; 1,220 in 2023; 1,245 in 2022)
• 7 confirmed Kemp’s ridley nests (20 in 2024; 12 in 2023; 7 in 2022)
