Because Florida had a storm-free season last year, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch reported a record-breaking number of hatchlings.
But they didn't see a repeat this year, after the last two known nests were disturbed by Hurricane Isaias.
Kristin Mazzarella, executive director of AMITW, said the high water levels made it difficult for sea turtles to hatch.
"Continued erosion of our beaches reduces the elevation of the beach, so even if a nest wasn't overwashed by the surf, the water table came up underneath it," Mazzarella said.
This season, AMITW reported 17,609 hatchlings, compared to nearly 30,000 last year.
Another reason for this year's drop in numbers is coyote predators. Mazzarella said there are more coyotes because new developments are pushing them out of their previous habitats.
"A lot of the areas that they used to live in … wooded areas and fields and things like that, are being built upon, and so they're getting moved out of their area and having to adapt to the areas they can get to," she said.
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Mazzarella explained there is little her team can do to prevent these predators from interfering with the nests, due to the amount of supplies it would require and the likelihood of erosion.
"We had 460 nests on the island. So if we caged all of those, that's a lot of cages. That's a lot of work … and also cages that could get washed out if we had a high surf event," she said.
Since there are currently no other known nests on the island, the AMITW will use this off-season to continue to educate residents about how they can live a turtle-friendly life.
Mazzarella said the main goal is to get turtles to the water, which people can help with by not littering, using artificial lights, and digging sandcastles or potholes.
"The main thing is to get them to the water. So they can really help us by doing those things of keeping the beach clean, dark, and flat because that ensures that those hatchlings make it to the water safely and in good time," she said.
Mazzarella is hopeful that by informing the public and controlling what they are able to, they can help preserve the sea turtle population.
"We've definitely seen some progress, and we've had some nests towards the end of the year that have gone the correct direction. It's just continuing to get that education out," she said.
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