Sea turtle nesting off to a strong start on Florida’s Atlantic beaches
Leatherbacks, loggerheads and green sea turtles have returned to Florida’s Atlantic coast for their annual egg-laying ritual, and these ancient reptiles seem off to a strong start.
As sea turtle nesting season gets into full swing, researchers are busy counting nests and tagging turtles for further study. In Brevard County, including Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, the UCF Marine Turtle Research Group has counted 68 leatherback nests, 2,776 loggerhead nests and two green turtle nests (though their season has just begun).
As of May 22, Indian River County tallied 55 leatherback nests, 569 loggerhead nests and one green turtle nest.
“Leatherbacks have been doing incredible this year. They’re nesting in numbers that we have not seen in quite a while,” said Kendra Cope, founder and executive director of Vero Beach-based Coastal Connections. “Anytime we see these big years, it gives us hope that all of our recovery work — our conservation efforts and our research, plus law enforcement —
there’s a hope or a glimpse that our work is working.”
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the Sunshine State saw a total of more than 130,000 nests from three species of sea turtles in 2021.
Conservation success
In the 1970s, sea turtle populations were in major decline as people sought their meat, eggs, leather and shells. In 1973, all sea turtles were protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
That was around the same time that “Doc” Ehrhart, the founder of the UCF Marine Turtle Research Group, began studying turtles along Florida’s East Coast. The late researcher, who died in March just shy of his 80th birthday, was instrumental in helping to establish the Carr refuge, a haven for turtles during their annual nesting ritual.
“He’s the reason that any of us are doing this work at all,” said Katrina Phillips, a Ph.D. student with the UCF research group. “We’re trying to catch every part of the life cycle now, with the eggs on the beach at the beginning, the end with moms nesting on the beach. We have teenagers in the lagoon, and way offshore in the Gulf of
Mexico we find the ‘lost years’ turtles.”
Though the combination of research and protected status have helped sea turtle populations rebound in previous decades, their conservation success story still requires work and environmental stewardship to continue.
How to help
The main species of sea turtles found in Brevard and Indian River counties lay their nests at night, which means humans out for late beach walks may happen upon one of the reptiles laying eggs.
It’s imperative to keep bright lights off the beach at night, as this can deter turtles from coming onto a beach to lay eggs. In addition, hatchlings follow the brightest point on the horizon in seeking the ocean, but they can become disoriented by other light sources.
Conservationists urge beachgoers to fill in holes in the sand and remove beach furniture that could get in the way of sea turtles crawling on the shore.
Litter is another threat to sea turtles and all wildlife in Florida. The marine reptiles can become ensnared in fishing line or mistake a plastic bag for food.
Cope and the Coastal Connections volunteers are especially aware of how pervasive litter can be on Florida’s beaches.
“They’ve been known to pick out hundreds of cigarette butts and pieces of trash that have been washed or blown into stormwater drains,” she said, noting that everyone can pick up a few pieces of litter every day. “Everywhere you go, people are watching your actions. You can be an incredible steward for the environment just by leading by example.”