Sea turtle experts hope nesting hits record again
They expect successful year for loggerheads, an OK year for leatherbacks.
JUPITER — Wednesday was the start of the sea turtle nesting season in Palm Beach County, and experts are hoping for another huge year.
Loggerhead sea turtles set a record for nests in northern Palm Beach County last year, according to officials at Loggerhead Marinelife Center.
LMC officials and volunteers monit o r t h e n e s t s a l o n g t h e 10-mile stretch of beach from the northern Palm Beach County line south to John D. MacArthur Beach State Park.
B o t h 2 0 1 3 a n d 2 0 1 5 we r e record-breaking numbers for greens in the state of Florida. Although it can be difficult to predict nesting numbers for loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles, LMC officials still expect a successful year for loggerheads and a normal year for leatherbacks, according to Dr. Justin Perrault, LMC’s associate director of research.
“We’re expecting a high green sea turtle nesting count this year, as greens tend to have alternating high to low nesting years,” Perrault said.
The nesting season runs to Oct. 31.
Sea turtles don’t nest every year and are a long-lived species, making it difficult to compare sea turtle nesting year to year, Sarah Hirsch, LMC’s data manager, said.
“We’ve seen a steady increase in the local populations, most likely due to the effect of conservation programs like the Endangered Species Act,” Hirsch said. “This is why it’s so important to conduct long-term studies on sea turtles — it really helps us determine their overall health if we can look at data that’s been collected over the course of 30, 40 or 50 years.”
Wa t e r f r o n t r e s i d e n t s a r e required to shield or redirec t lights illuminating any area of the shoreline that may be used by nesting sea turtles from March through October.
Nests are checked daily by LMC volunteers and staff for signs of hatchling emergence, erosion, tampering or if a predator has tried to dig up the nest. The data provide information on the number of hatchlings produced.
Five Florida counties — Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach — are the most important loggerhead nursery areas in the Western Hemisphere, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Harming or harassing sea turtles, their nests or hatchlings is illegal. Sea turtles are protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1972 and Florida Statutes Chapter 370.
A man last year was arrested in Tequesta for stealing sea turtle eggs.