Meet the Research Team at loggerhead
The Loggerhead Marinelife Center conducts research on the three species of sea turtles that regularly nest on the beaches of northern Palm Beach County. Each year, as many as 7,000 sea turtle nests are recorded on the very special beaches. Find out more about how the researchers from the LMC study these rare and interesting creatures.
Nesting surveys are conducted throughout the Southeast United States to track the reproductive activities of loggerhead, green, and leatherback turtles. The number of nests and nesting attempts made can help researchers understand reproductive behavior, and over time, help determine the overall health of each population by establishing trends in nesting activity. The LMC has documented the nesting activity on 6 miles of beach in Juno and Jupiter since 1989, making our data set one of the longest-running in the State of Florida. Beginning in 2007, the staff expanded our program to include the beaches of Tequesta/Jupiter Colony and south of the Jupiter Inlet.
The following is a graph of the number of nests (by species) for the Juno Beach section of our survey area. Click photos below for individual species nesting charts.
Leatherback nest numbers in northern Palm Beach County have been increasing since the late 1990’s. In 2001, LMC researchers developed a long-term program to study the nesting population of leatherbacks in the area. Each night during nesting season, staff members patrol the beach from the Jupiter Inlet to the Palm Beach Inlet. Each leatherback encountered is measured and tagged for identification. The program was designed to identify nesting individuals and understand the size and status of the population. The program has since expanded to include many research projects studying migration, health, reproductive behavior, contaminants, threats and genetics.