Although recent studies have greatly increased our understanding of turtle nesting behavior, their migrations through the vast ocean waters remain poorly documented. Because nesting time provides scientists with their only opportunity to study large numbers of turtles, it's important to take advantage of this annual event. One way scientists benefit from nesting is through placing tags on selected turtles on the beach. Tagging provides valuable information about migration patterns, the interval between nests built by the same turtle, the number of times a turtle will nest in a season, and whether or not the turtle returns to the same nesting beach in succeeding years. Tagging also provides critical information about the overall population size of loggerhead turtles nesting on Florida's coasts.
Scientists consider sea turtles to be an indicator species.
That means the size and health of the sea turtle population can help indicate the overall health of the sea and coast. Thus, keeping track of sea turtles is a vital part of environmental preservation. Only about one in 10,000 sea turtle hatchlings lives long enough to reproduce. There are dangers from shore to sea, from birds to crabs, and even from humans. Blair Witherington of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Marine Research Institute set out to solve this great sea turtle mystery.