The Hilton Head Island Sea Turtle Patrol announced July 8 that they have located 350 nests this year. Last year, only 237 were recorded on the island.
The patrol tracks sea turtle population using DNA sampling from every single nest. The sampling found that 60-year-old female turtles still return to the island for nesting season.
The South Carolina United Turtle Enthusiasts of Pawleys Island also announced in early July that they have located 44 sea turtle nests so far this year. That breaks the island's previous record of 39 from 2019.
According to state officials, only 1 in every 100 turtle hatchlings survive the journey to sea, making public cooperation crucial. They are asking beach locals to turn off outdoor lights at night and only use red lights on the beach. This ensures that the newly hatched turtles will follow the reflection of moonlight rather than artificial light.
