Newly-hatched sea
turtles are getting lost on their way to the sea more frequently than
ever on some local beaches, and researchers at Mote Marine Laboratory
believe the cause is distraction from artificial lights along Sarasota
County coastlines. As of July 28, at least 1,937 hatchlings had lost
their way (or "disoriented"), prompting local environmental scientists
to urge residents and visitors to keep beaches dark until the sea
turtle nesting season ends Oct. 31.
Southwest Florida
beaches host the Gulf of Mexico's largest nesting population of
loggerhead sea turtles, deemed threatened under federal law, along with
endangered green sea turtles and rare Kemp's Ridley sea turtles.
Hatchlings emerge
from their nests at night and instinctively seek the brightest horizon.
On a dark beach, that should be the sea. Instead, electric lights
visible from the beach often lure the turtles inland, where they may
exhaust their much-needed energy, die under the harsh sun, fall into
swimming pools and storm drains, get hit by cars or fall prey to birds,
ants and other animals.
Mote scientists
have found that only a month into hatching season, baby turtles from at
least 62 nests have disoriented on beaches of Venice and Casey Key,
Siesta Key, Lido Key and Longboat Key. If these trends persist, that
number could surpass last year's total. In 2008, Sarasota County had
113 disorientations, the fourth-highest number in the state, despite
having thousands fewer nests than other counties.
Below is a breakdown of nesting and disorientations as of July 28:
| Location |
Longboat
|
Lido
|
Siesta
|
Casey
|
Venice
|
Total |
| Disorientation Events |
24 |
1 |
8 |
3 |
26 |
62 |
| Total Nests Hatched |
44 |
1 |
19 |
63 |
44 |
171 |
| Total Nests Laid |
200 |
14 |
119 |
381 |
160 |
874 |
| Percent of Hatched Nests Disoriented |
54 |
100 |
42 |
5 |
59 |
36 |
| Percent of All Laid Nests Disoriented (includes nests not yet hatched) |
12 |
7 |
7 |
1 |
16 |
7 |
"Having so many
disorientations at the beginning of hatching season does not bode well
for the rest of the year," said Tony Tucker, manager of Mote's Sea
Turtle Conservation and Research Program. The Program monitors sea
turtle nesting on 35 miles of local beaches each day. Though
disorientations seem to increase during certain moon phases, according
to researchers at Florida Atlantic University and Florida's Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission, lunar cycles don't account for the
serious problems on local beaches.
According to
Tucker, floodlights on just one building on Casey Key were recently
visible to hatchlings in more than 100 nests along a 1.4-mile stretch
of beach. Sarasota County and its local municipalities all have
ordinances requiring beachfront residences and businesses to shield
lights so they are not visible on beaches, but some properties continue
to use transparent fixtures. Fines for violations can reach up to
$1,000 per day.
(Sarasota County
enforces turtle protections on Lido, Siesta, Casey and Manasota keys.
Longboat and Venice each have their own ordinances and enforcement
rules.)
"Shielding
non-compliant fixtures with metal flashing found at hardware stores is
an easy and inexpensive way to block light from the beach," said
Sarasota County Environmental Specialist Keri Ferenc Nelson. "Beach
residents, business owners and visitors can keep their lights
turtle-friendly by moving lights low to the ground, using long' light
wavelengths (red, orange and dark amber), and shielding beams so light
is directed downward, not out toward beaches."
Here are other ways to help hatchlings find their way to the sea:
Close drapes after dark
Remove beach furniture and trash at night so it does not block the way
Fill in holes that may entrap hatchlings on their way to the water, and knock down sand castles
Never approach nesting turtles or hatchlings
Remain quiet around nests
Do not use flashlights or fishing lamps on the beach at night
Never encourage a turtle to move while nesting or pick up hatchlings
To learn more about Sarasota County's sea turtle program, contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000.
