Newsroom

Sea turtles have finished nesting on beaches from Longboat Key through Venice, where green sea turtles laid a record number of nests and loggerhead sea turtles also had a strong year, according to Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program.

Nests are now hatching, and many rescued hatchlings are currently receiving care in Mote’s Hatchling Hospital.

It’s important that the public keep beaches clear for hatchlings trying to reach the water, according to Mote’s Sea Turtle Patrol — a group of scientists, interns and volunteers who monitor 35 miles of local nesting beaches each day of nesting season, May 1-Oct. 31.

Nesting Record for Greens

Green sea turtles, which are uncommon on local nesting beaches, laid 30 nests this year in Mote’s Patrol area — double their past record of 14 nests in 2007 and 2010.

Green sea turtle numbers have increased steadily between 1989 and 2012 at multiple Florida beaches, according to the Index Nesting Beach Survey coordinated by the state’s wildlife agency, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).Greens’ nesting numbers tend to follow a saw-toothed pattern of peaks and valleys that occur in two-year cycles.

Loggerhead sea turtles, a threatened species that is much more common locally, laid 2,240 nests in 2013 — a strong total close behind the 31-year record count of 2,462 nests in 2012.

Statewide numbers for loggerheads had generally declined starting in 1998 but then began to rebound starting in 2008 on Florida beaches, including beaches in Mote’s patrol area. Loggerhead nesting in Florida has gone through decadal cycles of increases and decreases — patterns that may be influenced in part by broad-scale weather and ocean patterns in the North Atlantic.

We know the local nesting patterns because of Mote’s long history of turtle conservation on Florida’s west coast. Mote has monitored sea turtle nesting for 31 years from Longboat through Venice — and it’s only through long-term monitoring programs like this that we can understand overall population trends for sea turtles. That’s because they are long-lived species that take decades to mature. For example, it will take about 30 years for the hatchlings born on our beaches this year to return to nest as adults.

“We’re very happy that green sea turtles broke their 31-year record this summer, that loggerheads had another outstanding season and that our local numbers seem to be part of a broader upswing in the southeastern U.S.” said Kristen Mazzarella, manager of Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program. “While these increases might have many causes, it’s exciting to consider how our local conservation and education efforts may be helping with this positive change.”

The table below provides a breakdown of 2013 nest numbers for each beach monitored by Mote. Please note that these are not the final totals — they may be adjusted slightly after nesting season is complete on Oct. 31.

For nest counts by week, visit www.mote.org/2013nesting.

For nest counts from previous years, visit www.mote.org/environmentalupdates and click "Sea Turtle Nesting."

For information about nesting statewide, visit FWC’s Web site. 

Help for Hatchlings

Hatching is now in full swing — and days are busy at the Hatchling Hospital within Mote’s public outreach facility, The Aquarium.

“This year we have admitted more hatchlings into our critical care hospital than at any other time since I joined Mote four years ago,” said Holly West, Sea Turtle Care Coordinator at Mote. “That’s a lot of little mouths to feed.”

Currently, 63 rescued hatchlings — mainly loggerheads along with a small number of greens — are receiving care designed to help them heal and build up their strength so Mote can return them to sea. Hatchlings in the hospital will be released offshore by boat once they have healed and can dive and feed on their own.

The hatchlings are from multiple Southwest Florida beaches, and many were recovered from nests damaged by predators such as raccoons and armadillos. Others lost their way to sea, or disoriented, and wandered into swimming pools, storm drains or other dangerous situations. Normally, hatchlings follow the brightest horizon to find the sea, but artificial lights visible from the beach and flashlights or lanterns on the beach can lure them away from the surf and into harm’s way.

Visitors in The Aquarium at Mote may see hatchlings inside the exhibit “Sea Turtles: Ancient Survivors.” Guests might even glimpse Mote staff weighing, measuring and checking hatchlings for injuries through a special viewing window added in 2012 thanks to a generous donation from the Kukanza family.

How to Help Sea Turtles

Support sea turtle conservation and research. Mote scientists are seeking donations of supplies and funding to help support our Sea Turtle Patrol activities for the remainder of the 2013 season and to prepare for 2014.

To make a donation, visit www.mote.org/donate (select “Research at Mote Marine Laboratory" and type “sea turtle research” in the comments box below).  To make an in-kind donation of supplies, please contact Kathy Klingensmith at 941-388-4441, ext. 308 or kak@mote.org.

Supplies needed include:

• Black permanent markers from Sharpie
• 100-foot large measuring tapes with non-metal blades
• Paint roller covers, 9-inch and 4-inch (for painting yellow stakes to mark nests)
• Flagging tape (for marking nests)
• Latex gloves, medium size (for excavating hatched nests to document their contents)
• Rubber mallets (for pounding stakes into the sand to mark nests)
• Handheld GPS units (for documenting locations of turtle activities)
• Digital cameras (for documenting nests and turtle crawls)
• All-terrain vehicle covers (for ATVs used to patrol beaches)
• Yellow paint, 5-gallon cans (for painting stakes to mark nests)
• Large tarps (used when painting nest stakes)
• WD-40 lubricant (1 gallon)
• AAA and AA batteries (for GPS and cameras used to document nests)
• Waterproof field notebooks (from “Rite in the Rain” brand)
• Red LED headlamps (for monitoring and studying sea turtles at night on the beach – red light does not disturb nesting turtles or hatchlings)

Adopt a Sea Turtle in The Aquarium at Mote: Visit www.mote.org/adopt

Keep beaches clear for sea turtle hatchlings. With high numbers of nests this year, it’s more important than ever to keep beaches turtle-friendly for hatchlings trying to reach the sea.

Mote encourages coastal residents and visitors to follow these turtle-friendly tips:

Do:

If you encounter a nesting turtle or hatchlings, remain quiet and observe from a distance

Shield or turn off outdoor lights that are visible on the beach from May through October

Close drapes after dark and put beach furniture far back from the water

Fill in holes that may entrap hatchlings on their way to the water

Place trash in its proper place

Do Not:

Approach nesting turtles or hatchlings, make noise, or shine lights at turtles

Use flashlights or fishing lamps on the beach

Encourage a turtle to move while nesting or pick up hatchlings that have emerged and are heading for the water

Use fireworks on the beach

Sea turtles are protected under federal law and any harassment or interference with a sea turtle, living or dead, is subject to penalty. If you witness anyone disturbing a turtle or find an injured or disoriented hatchling or adult, please notify agents with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922), the local sheriff’s department, and/or Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Program at 388-4331. If you find a dead or injured sea turtle contact Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program at 988-0212.