Nearly half a million loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) hatchlings have reached the Mediterranean this year from nesting beaches in Türkiye’s southern province of Antalya, one of the species’ most important breeding grounds in the region.
According to data from conservation and monitoring efforts, a total of 9,160 nests were recorded across the designated nesting beaches in the city, resulting in 429,616 hatchlings successfully entering the sea.
The loggerhead turtle is categorized as a species facing a high risk of extinction in the wild according to global conservation standards.
Türkiye’s Mediterranean coastline hosts some of the species’ most critical nesting habitats, where thousands of hatchlings emerge every summer.
Belek Beach in the Serik district emerged as the most productive nesting site this year, yielding approximately 141,750 hatchlings from 3,150 nests.
Of Türkiye’s 22 officially identified sea turtle nesting beaches, nine are located within Antalya’s borders. The country’s longest nesting beach is Belek, stretching 29.3 kilometers.
Scientific research shows that sea turtles have existed in oceans for more than 100 million years, with the oldest known fossils dating back around 150 million years.
These animals play a key role in marine and coastal ecosystems by helping regulate populations of seagrasses and jellyfish.
However, human activities over the past two centuries have become the primary threat to their survival.
In Türkiye, only two species nest regularly: The loggerhead turtle and the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).
Sea turtles can live for 100 to 120 years. Males never leave the sea, while females come ashore only to lay eggs, depositing an average of 100 to 150 eggs per nesting. Of every 1,000 hatchlings that reach the water, only two or three are estimated to survive to adulthood.
In the country, protection and monitoring activities are coordinated by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry’s nature conservation body, in cooperation with various institutions and volunteers.
