Green Sea Turtle Hatchlings Mark the Close of 2025 Nesting Season on Anna Maria Island
As the 2025 sea turtle nesting season nears its end, only a few nests remain along the beaches of Anna Maria Island. The season’s final green sea turtle nest brought a heartwarming milestone, with 117 hatchlings safely making their way to the Gulf of Mexico.
The nest, which incubated for about 70 days—slightly longer than usual—hatched successfully under the careful monitoring of island volunteers. During the post-hatch inventory conducted on Sunday, volunteer Cindy discovered one small turtle still working its way out of the nest. With a gentle assist, it too reached the water safely.
Florida’s sea turtle nesting season typically runs from May 1 through October 31, a span when beaches are monitored closely to protect loggerhead, green, and occasionally leatherback turtles that return to the area’s shores to lay eggs. Hatchlings generally emerge after about 55 to 70 days of incubation and are guided by moonlight toward the Gulf.
As the 2025 season concludes, conservationists celebrate the successful emergence of hundreds of hatchlings from nests across the island — each one a hopeful sign for the continued recovery of these threatened marine species. The young turtles that entered the Gulf this week are expected to return to the same stretch of beach in 25 to 30 years to begin the cycle anew.
Photos documenting the event were taken by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring Director Kristen Mazzarella and volunteer Amy Waterbury, all in accordance with marine turtle permit MTP-087.