Scientists suspect those decades-old efforts are showing big results now because female loggerheads don’t reach full maturity and start nesting until they’re about 30 years old.
“They’ve been able to survive to maturity and reproduce and come back to lay eggs,” said Michelle Pate, who leads the sea turtle program for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. “It’s been a long haul, but I think we’re finally seeing it pay off.”
This is awesome! That makes me really happy. I could only imagine how happy the scientists are: "It’s pretty obvious to us that this is a big year.”