Sea turtles dug a record number of nests in Volusia County, but while the amount of loggerhead nests increased statewide this season, researchers say the turtles are still far from reversing a long decline.
The loggerheads made an important improvement after the worst year on record in 2007, said Anne Meylan, a senior research scientist at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.
This year, "was an uptick, but in the overall scheme of things, its not like we were up to what we were in 1998," Meylan said.
While it's a "welcome change," the nests are about 41 percent down from levels nine years ago, she said. The institute will release a report this week detailing what the improvement means within the overall decline.
Florida accounts for more than 90 percent of loggerhead nesting in the United States. The species, considered threatened, is the most common sea turtle in the state.
Meylan said it's normal for fluctuation to occur, but could not speculate why the numbers improved.
"It would seem like we would be able to, but these animals are very long-lived. They have very complex...
