Sea turtle experts along the southeastern US coast say new nesting numbers reinforce their belief that loggerhead sea turtles are making a comeback after 37 years of protection as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act. The high numbers bode well for conservation efforts put in place to aid a species that was nearly extinct in the 1980s. Researchers say sea turtles rebounded from a slump last year to deliver one of the strongest summer nesting seasons on record on beaches from the Carolinas to Florida. Preliminary numbers from Georgia show scientists and volunteers counted a record 2,292 loggerhead sea turtles nests during the season that runs from May through August. It’s the fifth season in six years that Georgia, which has just 100 miles (160 kilometers) of coastline, has surpassed its previous record.

Sea turtles set new nesting records in US. (2015, September 10). Manila Bulletin, p. B-8.