Aside from sea turtle protection and public education, one of the critical functions that Caswell Beach Turtle Watch contributes to the North Carolina Sea Turtle Project is the collection of DNA to learn more about our visiting turtle population.
Our morning patrol team gathers DNA from each new sea turtle nest so that we can track and understand more about each Sea Turtle Mama and her offspring. This data also contributes to the larger research at SeaTurtle.org and all it works to collect and report on.
Past data has shown that Sea Turtle Mamas often have daughters and granddaughters returning to their same beach of origin. Sometimes they even lay on the same beach and in the same area.
A few years back our data even suggests that we had three generations of the same sea turtle family nesting on Caswell Beach in the same season! Mother nature is amazing and so are our sea turtles with all they endure to survive.
Here are a few more data tidbits from 2023. Stay tuned for our 2024 results for more surprises!
•. In 2023, we had 95 sea turtle nests, including one Green Turtle, and a Kemp’s Ridley, the remainder being Loggerhead.
•. We had 30 unique Sea Turtle Mamas, which means that many Mamas laid multiple nests on our beach.
•. 1 Mama laid 7 nests!
•. 6 Mamas laid 5 nests!
•. Many Mamas laid 3 or 4 nests.
•. At least 11 Mamas were exclusive to Caswell Beach.
•. 1 of the 11 has been EXCLUSIVE to Caswell Beach since we started recording DNA in 2010!
(Graph by Rodney Gardner)
Amazing but true!
We are so appreciative of the Caswell Beach community and all the support we receive from so many in our efforts to protect sea turtles. We are your source for current and accurate sea turtle information for Caswell Beach, along with our partners at Oak Island Sea Turtle Protection.
Check back at this site regularly for the latest information on Caswell Beach Sea Turtle Nests and our Latest Inventory Results. Follow us on Facebook at Caswell Beach Turtle Watch.
And, we wish you a Turtley Awesome Day!
**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 24ST03).
Want to help? Please consider donating to our efforts to protect sea turtles at Caswell Beach Turtle Watch Donations.