The nesting season has ended in Mersin, southern Türkiye, a major breeding ground for endangered loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), with an estimated 100,000 hatchlings reaching the Mediterranean this year.
Mersin has a 321-kilometer (199-mile) Mediterranean coastline. Thousands of hatchlings emerged from nests along the beaches and made their way into the Mediterranean.
Mahmut Ergene, a lecturer at Mersin University’s Sea Turtle Application and Research Center, provided information about the 2026 nesting season.
“Mersin has five major nesting beaches: Anamur, the Göksu Delta, Alata, Davultepe and Kazanlı,” Ergene said. “At Davultepe beach, we identified 138 nests. In total, about 10,000 sea turtle hatchlings reached the sea from this area. If we consider Mersin as a whole, we can say that around 100,000 sea turtle hatchlings reached the sea from Mersin this year.”
Ergene said the number of nests at Davultepe this year was below the average of previous years, describing the decline as part of the turtles’ natural cycle.
“Compared with previous years, we observed a decline in the number of nests during the 2026 nesting season,” Ergene said. “The average number of nests at Davultepe is around 180. That is a remarkable figure for a 1.8-kilometer beach. In other words, we can say there are about 100 nests per kilometer.”
Ergene said the decline in nesting numbers should not be viewed as a negative development, noting that fluctuations are a natural part of the turtles’ reproductive cycle.
“The decline in the number of nests is part of the natural process and is inherent to the turtles’ life cycle,” Ergene said. “When we look at the 20-year trend, we see fluctuations in nesting numbers. This year is one of those years when we experienced a decline.”
