Every spring, something ancient stirs beneath the warm waters off Georgia’s coast. This year, it happened right on schedule. The first loggerhead sea turtle nests of the 2026 season have been confirmed on St. Catherines and Cumberland islands, launching a new chapter for a species that scientists are watching with both hope and hard-earned caution.
First Nests of 2026 Confirmed on Georgia’s Barrier Islands
Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources confirmed the first loggerhead nests of the 2026 season in the first week of May. Nests appeared on St. Catherines Island, a privately owned barrier island in Liberty County, and at Cumberland Island National Seashore off the coast of St. Marys. “It’s like clockwork,” said Mark Dodd, Georgia Sea Turtle Program Coordinator and senior wildlife biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources. The turtles reliably return to Southeast beaches right around the first of May, season after season. Full-scale daily nest monitoring on all of Georgia’s barrier island beaches officially begins in mid-May. But behind the scenes, preparation started weeks earlier. Dodd and his team spent that time training interns, coordinating with volunteers and partner agencies, moving equipment to barrier islands, and working alongside DNR’s Law Enforcement Division. Game wardens play a critical role throughout nesting season.
They enforce regulations including the mandatory use of turtle excluder devices, known as TEDs, in commercial shrimping operations. These specially designed trap doors in fishing nets allow turtles to escape without getting caught. The loggerhead sea turtle is a creature that commands real respect. It can weigh more than 350 pounds and grow a shell up to 44 inches long, making it one of the world’s largest sea turtles. It roams the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans and the Mediterranean Sea, but every two to three years, the female returns to the exact beach where she hatched decades earlier, guided by the Earth’s magnetic field. Each nest holds roughly 113 eggs. Eggs hatch in 55 to 65 days. Hatchlings that survive begin a sweeping ocean journey, riding currents all the way to the Azores, down to west Africa, and back across to the western Atlantic.
Last Year’s Numbers Told a Sobering Story
The 2025 nesting season ended with a number that caught many researchers off guard. Just 1,879 loggerhead nests were confirmed across Georgia’s barrier islands last year. For a species already in recovery, that drop landed hard. Here is how the recent trend has looked:
| Year | Nest Count | Recovery Goal Met (2,800)? |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4,071 | Yes (Record High since 1989) |
| 2023 | 3,431 | Yes |
| 2024 | 2,490 | No |
| 2025 | 1,879 | No |
The 2022 total marked the highest nest count since Georgia’s Sea Turtle Cooperative began comprehensive barrier island surveys in 1989. The decline since then has been steady and notable. The recovery goal of 2,800 nests per year was set by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for these federally protected turtles. Two of the last four summers cleared that bar. The 2025 season did not, and it was not particularly close. “Just when you think we have it figured out, the turtles go do something different,” Dodd said.
What the Science Says Going Into 2026
There is a reason wildlife officials are paying extra attention this season. Population modeling had pointed to a surge in 2025, based on a three-year nesting cycle observed in the region. That prediction did not hold. Now, heading into 2026, scientists are watching closely to see whether the cycle still plays out, just one year late. **The long-term picture, despite year-to-year swings, remains encouraging.** The loggerhead population nesting in Georgia has grown at roughly 4 percent annually since the early 1990s. Computer modeling developed jointly by DNR, the University of Georgia and the U.S. Geological Survey draws on decades of nesting data and genetic analysis. It projects that the population will plateau for more than a decade, a consequence of low recruitment during the early 2000s. But with current protections held in place through that period, loggerhead numbers are then expected to climb again to levels not seen since the late 1950s. So while Dodd and many colleagues are bracing for an unusually busy 2026 nesting season, they are also keeping realistic expectations. The turtles have surprised scientists before, and almost certainly will again.
Meet the 200-Person Team Guarding Every Single Nest
Georgia’s loggerheads do not survive nesting season alone. The Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative, coordinated by DNR, brings together about 200 volunteers, researchers and agency employees who patrol the state’s barrier island beaches every single day throughout nesting season. Working under a DNR permit, they mark, monitor and protect loggerhead nests, along with rare nests from other species, including the green sea turtle and the critically endangered Kemp’s ridley. **From each nest, one egg is collected for genetic analysis at the University of Georgia.** That egg represents less than 1 percent of the average clutch size but provides critical data on the number and genetic relatedness of loggerheads nesting in Georgia. After collection, a protective screen is placed over the nest to guard against predators. Cumberland Island consistently leads the state in annual nest counts. Its 18-mile undeveloped shoreline, protected as part of Cumberland Island National Seashore, gives turtles near-ideal nesting conditions with minimal human interference. The island typically accounts for 25 to 30 percent of Georgia’s total statewide nest count each year. The cooperative has operated on Georgia’s beaches for more than 30 years. “Just like the turtles, we’re here every year,” Dodd said. “To monitor wildlife populations you often need a long-term data set to figure out what’s going on. The more data we have, the better we understand the status of the species.”
Small Things Beachgoers Can Do to Help Right Now
Sea turtles face threats from every direction. In the ocean, they risk entanglement in fishing gear, accidental ingestion of plastics, boat propeller strikes and poaching. On shore, artificial lighting, coyote and raccoon predation, and habitat disruption all threaten nests and newly hatched young. The biggest misconception many beach visitors hold is that there is nothing they can do. That is simply not true. DNR is asking anyone visiting Georgia’s coast this summer to follow these steps:
- Turn off, shield or redirect any beachfront lights after dark
- Avoid using flashlights or camera flash on the beach at night
- Keep a safe and respectful distance if a sea turtle comes ashore near you
- Properly dispose of trash and plastics at all times
- Report injured or stranded turtles to 1-800-2-SAVE-ME
- Report sightings to the Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative at (478) 994-1438
**Artificial beach lighting is one of the most underestimated dangers to hatchlings.** Loggerhead hatchlings instinctively crawl toward the brightest light they can see. In nature, that is moonlight reflecting off the ocean. When beachfront properties leave lights on at night, hatchlings can turn inland instead of toward the water, often with fatal results. Sea turtles have been crossing oceans for more than 100 million years. They have survived mass extinctions and the reshaping of entire continents. But they cannot outpace coastal development, warming waters and plastic pollution on their own. After a tough 2025 that left scientists searching for answers, Georgia’s beaches are offering a new start. Every confirmed nest is a small act of resilience. Every protected egg is a thread in a story that has been unfolding far longer than any of us have been here to witness it. What do you think about the conservation efforts protecting loggerhead sea turtles along Georgia’s coast? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
