Researchers want to know if turtle numbers are increasing or declining. The best way is to count the number of young turtles at sea, said Sally Murphy, a sea turtle specialist with Natural Resources Department. Three research vessels and two commercial shrimping boats went trawling for turtles from Georgetown to St. Augustine, Fla., last summer. The turtles were caught in shallow nets to assure they would not drown. Biologists weighed the turtles, measured them and took blood samples.
Genetic tests reveal two subpopulations of turtles in that part of the Atlantic.
The northern groups nests along South Carolina beaches while the southern group nests farther down the coast. Just because more juvenile turtles have been found near South Carolina doesn't mean they will come to these shores to nest, Murphy said. They could end up in Florida instead.