1,014 identified individuals5,602 total encounters
Most recent observation · April 5, 2026
Day 44 of the 2026 field season · 20 encounters so far
Since 2001, researchers with Florida Leatherbacks Inc. have documented leatherback sea turtles nesting on Florida’s Atlantic coast. Statewide nest counts have risen more than 10% per year since standardized surveys began in 1979 — one of the strongest leatherback recovery signals in the Atlantic basin. Over 25 years of nightly field work, we have built one of the longest continuous mark-recapture datasets for this species anywhere in the world.
Research digest
New research analyzing a decade of fishery data shows nearly 1 in 5 leatherbacks are released with dangerous amounts of fishing gear still attached, with Gulf waters showing the highest risk.
How do leatherback sea turtles respond to the kind of impulsive underwater sounds generated by seismic surveys — the same type of activity that precedes offshore wind farm construction?
After laying several nests earlier in the season, a team of biologists has encountered and tagged a rare leatherback sea turtle that is nesting along Sanibel and Captiva Islands. She can now be tracked in real time as she travels the southwest Florida coast.