It’s a historic year for sea turtle nesting on Sanibel, as loggerhead (Caretta caretta) nests have reached an all-time high.

As of July 28, Sanibel’s loggerhead count is 902 nests — surpassing the island’s previous single-season record of 878, set in 2023. The west end of Sanibel has also broken its own record, with 698 loggerhead nests compared to 631 previously.

Adding Sanibel’s 10 green sea turtle nests and Captiva’s 238 loggerhead and 2 green sea turtle nests, the two islands now have 1,152 total nests for the season. The total count for both islands is only 37 nests away from the loggerhead record of 1,177 set in 2023.

“Most loggerhead nesting is completed by the end of July, though a small amount of intermittent nests will continue to be laid in August, and possibly September,” says Sea Turtle Biologist Jack Brzoza.

Most Loggerhead Nests Since Monitoring Began in 1959

SCCF holds the first sea turtle monitoring permit ever issued in Florida. From 1959 to 1992, Caretta Research and Charles LeBuff held it. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) then transferred it to SCCF in 1992.

SEE RELATED STORY: Sanibel: Home to One of the Longest-Running Sea Turtle Monitoring Programs

Back in the early years, sea turtles were one of the most vulnerable species on the island, with poaching, raccoon depredation, and capture in shrimp nets as significant issues. In 1971, 70 loggerhead nests were laid on a 12.5-mile stretch of beach comparable to Sanibel. Thanks to decades of conservation efforts, nesting numbers now testify to their effectiveness.

Depredation Accelerates Late in the Season

Coyote depredation is now a serious threat to sea turtle and shorebird nests on Sanibel and Captiva. As of July 28, Sanibel’s depredation rate is 19.2%, with 175 nests lost to coyotes — nearly double the federal Loggerhead Recovery Plan’s 10% management threshold. Captiva’s rate rose even further, to 30.8%, with 74 nests lost. Combined across both islands, the depredation rate now stands at 21.6% of 1,152 total nests.

The losses remain heavily concentrated on Sanibel’s west end:

The Far West zone, between Bowman’s Beach and Blind Pass, continues to see the heaviest losses by far — nearly four times the management threshold.

SEE RELATED STORY: City Commits Funding to SCCF Coastal Wildlife Program & Coyote Study

What the Numbers Suggest

“Even though rates are lower compared to 2025 or the last few seasons, they are still above the 10% threshold, and the pattern we have observed suggests they will only increase from their current level,” says Broza.

Final-season totals — and the true scale of this year’s predation — likely won’t be clear until nesting wraps up and the last nests either hatch or are lost.

SCCF’s sea turtle team continues to monitor nests daily across both islands, tracking new activity and working to protect existing nests from predation as the season enters its final stretch.

View last week’s Coastal Wildlife Tracker, which includes shorebird depredation data.

Anyone who encounters an issue with a nest, a nesting turtle, or hatchlings is asked to call SCCF’s Sea Turtle Hotline at 978-728-3663.