This week, Caswell Beach Turtle Watch wrapped up its 44th year serving the Caswell Beach community in its sea turtle protection efforts. Our turtle protection team, at 142 volunteers strong, oversaw 63 nests this season – all Loggerheads, with the exception of one Kemp’s Ridley. As we close out the 2024 season, we always review the data that comes from this effort and what we can learn from it. Here is just a sampling of what we know so far.
Our committed volunteers logged over 7,000 hours of time spent monitoring nests and educating the public, and traveling over 31,000 miles to perform these tasks during the season. There were 31 nests concentrated within 1.3 miles of Caswell Beach’s 4 miles of oceanfront! Despite the challenging weather, King Tides and beach erosion, only three nests were lost, which is amazing given the challenges (and compared to catastrophic losses in years past). Across all nests, 6,892 eggs were laid, with an average of 75.3 % hatch success. Overall, Caswell Beach turtle nests had a 93.5% success rate.
Early DNA from the nests is once again showing that there are sea turtles mamas who come only to Caswell Beach, and often lay multiple nests per season. As more of the season data comes in, we will share these interesting metrics.
Things will be quiet over the next month’s as we gear up for the 2025 season, but check back for updates as we share more info. ALSO, be advised that our nest adoptions for 2025 are now open (great gift idea for the holiday season!) And of course, donations are always gladly accepted to help us budget for the equipment and supplies needed for our work.
As always, we appreciate all of the help and support from the Caswell Beach community and beyond, and from all the visitors we meet each season. It’s what keeps us going, and our community’s support in helping to get our message out is always appreciated!
As a bit of history, Caswell Beach Turtle Watch (CBTW) was officially formed in the early 1980’s, though local history suggests that the turtle nest monitoring started back in the age of biplanes that flew over the island looking for nests to protect. Over the years, CBTW has participated with other NC beaches in the Sea Turtle Project led by NC Wlidlife Resources. The research and resulting data, which are updated regularly, have helped to successfully increase the numbers of sea turtles. It has also helped to update sea turtle protection protocols and practices each year.
**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 24ST03).
