2021 SC sea turtle nest count will exceed 2020 total
CHARLESTON, S.C. – More loggerhead turtle nests were counted on South Carolina beaches this year than in 2020, according to state Department of Natural Resources data. The Post and Courier of Charleston reports officials counted more than 5,600 sea turtle nests this year, with data still being tallied. The final 2020 count was 5,560.
That remains below the state’s two biggest years, with 6,446 nests counted in 2016 and 8,774 in 2019.
In July, volunteers found a rare twoheaded sea turtle hatchling while conducting an inventory at Edisto Beach. As far as the park specialists know, this was a first for the beach. The turtle was released into the Atlantic Ocean.