Loggerhead sea turtle nesting populations have shown remarkable recovery in some regions, demonstrating the power of beach protection and bycatch reduction programs.
Hatchlings disoriented by artificial beach lighting may wander for hours or days before dehydrating on beaches or roads - a preventable death. Hatchling emergence from nests is energetically costly, and emerging into extreme heat from over-compacted nourished sand causes mortality before reaching the ocean. Despite these threats, loggerhead recovery shows that welfare and conservation interventions work. Each successfully hatched and oriented hatchling that reaches the ocean represents a welfare gain on a scale of thousands of individuals per nesting season.