Injured Loggerhead Rescued By Coast Guard

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — An injured loggerhead sea turtle caught a lucky break Monday when members of a U.S. Coast Guard crew happened to spot it struggling in Tampa Bay waters.

According to the coast guard, members of the Aids to Navigation Team in St. Petersburg were returning after servicing buoys in Tampa Bay around 11:30 a.m. when they spotted the critter. The turtle, the coast guard said, was in the middle of the Sunshine Skyway channel.

Crewmembers quickly scooped up the turtle, the coast guard wrote in an email to media. It was brought to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium for treatment. Its exact injuries are not known at this time.

"We are happy we were at the right place at the right time," said Chief Petty Officer Joshua Marzi, Officer in Charge at ANT St. Petersburg. "I'm thankful we could save it from any boating traffic or additional harm."

Sea turtle nesting season officially kicked off on the Gulf Coast May 1 and is expected to last, more or less, through Oct. 31.

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.

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 U.S. Coast Guard

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