Debbie, Francine, Milton and Helene were not kind to turtle nesting along the Collier County coastline this season causing an early end to the season and washing out disturbingly close to half of the late-season nests.
But the Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s sea turtle research team still documented 425 nests during the March to October nesting season on Keewaydin Island with a total of 422 loggerhead nests and three green sea turtle nests surviving.
While the nesting numbers were steady, it was those aforementioned hurricanes disrupted hatching success.
An end-of-season report from the Conservancy outlined that Southwest Florida’s beaches faced multiple wash-over events, including a tropical wave in June, elevated king tides in July, Tropical Storm Debbie in early August, Tropical Storm Francine’s effects in early September and storm surge from Hurricane Helene at the end of September.
Storm surge from Hurricane Milton brought an abrupt end to the season when the remaining nests were washed out. As a result of these storms, approximately 43% of nests were lost — two nests to predation, and 182 to impacts from storms. An estimated 14,975 hatchlings made it to the Gulf.
“Through no fault of their own, the number of sea turtles have declined. Anything that we can do to increase their numbers and ability to survive is important. Turtles tend to ingest plastic, which causes major health concerns. When they see floating plastic bags, they often mistake it for jellyfish. So, pick up your trash, turn off your lights and remove any obstacles from the beach at night. The sea turtles will appreciate it.”Kathy Worley, director of environmental science at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida
The program was originally established to protect nests from predators, primarily raccoons, although today coyotes and hogs are also a problem on Keewaydin.
Nest predation remained low compared with prior years and sea turtles’ reproductive strategies help buffer against such losses. By nesting multiple times in a season and laying an average of 90 to 100 eggs per nest, sea turtles naturally mitigate the effects of storms and predation. While nesting success may be lower this year, long-term trends in sea turtle reproduction on Keewaydin Island remain encouraging.
About 50 nests were documented when the Conservancy began the project to monitor sea turtle nests on Keewaydin Island in 1983.
Nest numbers have increased over time, and today the project is one of the longest continuously running sea turtle monitoring programs in the U.S. It is estimated that only one in 1,000 sea turtles survives to adulthood, so each individual that can be protected is significant to the survival of these threatened species. While there are signs of recovery, six of the seven species of sea turtles worldwide are still considered threatened or endangered.
“Through no fault of their own, the number of sea turtles have declined,” said Kathy Worley, director of environmental science at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. “Anything that we can do to increase their numbers and ability to survive is important. Turtles tend to ingest plastic, which causes major health concerns. When they see floating plastic bags, they often mistake it for jellyfish. So, pick up your trash, turn off your lights and remove any obstacles from the beach at night. The sea turtles will appreciate it.”
To learn more about the Conservancy’s sea turtle efforts, visit conservancy.org/our-work/science/sea-turtle-research/.
About the Conservancy of Southwest Florida: The Conservancy of Southwest Florida is a not-for-profit environmental protection organization with a 60-year history focused on the issues impacting the water, land, wildlife and future of Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. The Conservancy accomplishes this mission through the combined efforts of its experts in environmental science, policy, education and wildlife rehabilitation. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida, world-class Nature Center and von Arx Wildlife Hospital are headquartered in Naples, Florida, at 1495 Smith Preserve Way, south of the Naples Zoo off Goodlette-Frank Road. Learn more about the Conservancy’s work and how to support the quality of life in Southwest Florida at Conservancy.org.
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