Turtle nesting season brings in record-breaking numbers, Mote Marine says

SARASOTA, Fla. - Mote Marine said this turtle nesting season was record-breaking. So far, preliminary counts show there were more than 4,000 nests along the beaches from Longboat Key through Venice, which is almost 1,000 more than last year. 

"When you think about it just 10-15 years ago we were only having about 1,000 nests for the season, and this year we're on track to have between 4,000 and 5,000 nests." Melissa Macksey, a senior biologist with Mote Marine Lab, said. 

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Mote Marine officials hope the reason for the increase is that they started monitoring the turtles 30 years ago, and now the turtles are old enough to come back and lay their eggs. 

The nesting season officially ends October 31 where a final count will take place, but Mote said nests can continue to hatch through mid-November.