Florida's Sea Turtle Nesting Season Kicks Off Soon

SARASOTA, FL — Tampa Bay area beachgoers may soon have some extra company on the sand. The state’s official sea turtle nesting season along the Gulf Coast is set to kick off May 1.

Since sea turtles don’t necessarily pay attention to dates on the calendar, the folks at Sarasota’s Mote Marine Laboratory are asking beachgoers to be watchful for the critters since they may arrive a little sooner and some may take a bit longer than the season to hatch. The laboratory monitors 35 miles of beaches from Longboat Key to Venice.

Mote’s research team has found that nest numbers in the area it monitors have been up in recent years. The total number of nests, including loggerhead and greens, from Longboat Key to Venice was recorded at 2,475 in 2015, which beat the 2012 record by six nests.

“Out of those nests, 340 were laid along Longboat Key Manatee County, beating its previous 2013 record of 327 nests; 698 nests were laid along the entirety of Longboat Key, beating its 2013 record of 643 nests; 408 nests were laid along Siesta Key, beating its 1995 record of 343 nests; and a total of 36 green sea turtle nests were laid along the 35-mile stretch of beaches, which broke Mote’s previous record of 30 green turtle nests in 2013,” Mote officials wrote in an email to media.

Mote once again plans to monitor sea turtle activity in the area from Longboat Key to South Siesta Key in the coming days. It says beachgoers may spot researchers out between the hours of 6:30 and 8:30 a.m., even before the official nesting season begins.

Beachgoers can help keep turtles and their nests safe by heeding these tips:

• Be mindful of lights on the beach at night, especially from waterfront properties. These can disorient females and their young, who come out at night.
• Keep beach equipment, toys and other items off the beach at night to avoid sea turtle entanglement.
• Items such as beach chairs, umbrellas and cabanas should be removed from the beach between sunset and sunrise during the entire season. It’s best to wait until sunrise, at least, to set these items up, as well.
• People who encounter nesting turtles and hatchlings are asked to remain quiet and observe from a distance.
• Beachgoers are asked to knock down sand castles before they leave and to fill in holes on the beach that may entrap hatchlings on their way to the water.
• Boaters should follow Coast Guard guidelines for avoiding sea turtles and other wildlife.
• Boaters are also asked to stow trash and other debris to ensure it doesn’t blow overboard.
• Boaters are also asked to wear polarized sunglasses so they can spot marine life in their paths a bit easier.

Mote researchers also ask beachgoers to avoid the following:

• Approaching nesting turtles or hatchlings too closely
• Flashing lights at turtles
• Using flashlights or fishing lamps on the beach
• Using fireworks on the beach

Anyone who happens to encounter a sick, stranded or injured sea turtle in Manatee or Sarasota County waters is asked to call Mote Marine Laboratory’s Stranding Investigations Program at 941-988-0212. Sightings outside of those two counties should be reported to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Anyone who sees people tampering with sea turtles nests or harassing sea turtles is asked to call FWC, local law enforcement or Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program at 941-388-4331.

Sea turtles are protected under federal law. It is illegal to harass or interfere with them in any way or to disturb a nest.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission