The total number of turtles that came ashore to nest on Boca Raton's beaches fell off this year after two record-breaking years in a row.

From last year's high of 1,178 turtles along Boca's 5 miles of beach, this year saw 949 turtles come ashore to lay eggs, according to Gumbo Limbo Nature Center's turtle conservation program.

But it was a particularly good season for leatherback turtles, which are among the most critically endangered of Florida's sea turtles. During the past 28 years, only three other years have brought more leatherbacks to nest on Boca's beaches than this year, Gumbo Limbo counts show.

Those are the final sea turtle numbers that Gumbo Limbo Nature Center submitted this week to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is collecting numbers statewide. The commission has been tallying sea turtle nesting numbers along Florida's 800 miles of beaches since 1979.

Turtles come ashore in Boca in numbers that make it one of the most densely nested of any urban area along the Florida coastline, said Kirt Rusenko, a marine conservationist who heads Gumbo Limbo's turtle program. Only North Palm Beach attracts more, he said.

"They (number of nests) go up and down turtles nest every two to three years, so there's some variation year over year," Rusenko said. "We're just happy over the last few years since 2010, it's been much better, generally going up."

Overall, nesting appears to be on the upswing for the ancient reptiles that have roamed the Earth more than a 100 million years.

Sea turtles must survive a hazardous trek before they breed. It takes some species about 30 years from hatching before they make a rare appearance onshore to lay eggs

Pollution, boat strikes and fishing nets all contribute to some long odds. A turtle egg has a one in 1,000 to 5,000 chance of surviving to breed, according to officials at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.

Anne Meylan, a senior turtle research scientist and coordinator for the statewide beach survey, said that it's hard to say what factors are contributing to the general, upward trend in Florida's turtle nests.

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Sea turtle nesting on Boca's beaches: 'It's been much better'