Sea turtle season produces all-time high nest numbers, hatchling disorientations troublesome

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Children play in the sand July 18 next to a recently hatched loggerhead sea turtle nest on the beach near 77th Street in Holmes Beach. The indentation in the middle of the nest indicates the eggs hatched and the sea turtles have left the clutch. Islander Photo: ChrisAnn Silver Esformes
A screenshot taken July 23 shows loggerhead Eliza Ann headed deeper into the Gulf of Mexico. The female loggerhead has been wearing a satellite tracking device since June 20, when it nested and was captured and tagged by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and the Sea Turtle Conservancy, as part of the 10th annual Tour de Turtles. Thanks to the tracker, AMITW received data that Eliza Ann nested a second time July 3, near the north end of Anna Maria Island. The tagged turtles compete in a “marathon” to see which turtle swims the farthest during a three-month survey. To track Eliza Ann, visit. https://conserveturtles.org/trackingmap/?id=171.

Turtle nesting season is turning out to be a whopper.

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring statistician Pete Gross, also known as the “Stat Guy,” reported this week that the number of sea turtle nests on Anna Maria Island is a record — since recordkeeping began in 1997.

However, successful conservation efforts do not happen overnight.

It is up to humans to keep the beach habitat safe for sea turtles, which only leave the water to nest, mostly at night.

In Holmes Beach, efforts to protect sea turtles are proving more challenging than expected.

As of July 23, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring reported 27 of the record-breaking 437 loggerhead sea turtle nests on the island this season have hatched.

This is the most loggerhead nests documented on Anna Maria Island since AMITW began reporting data in 1997.

Most of the hatchlings found their way to the Gulf of Mexico. However, AMITW reported 10 of the 27 hatched nests contained hatchlings that disoriented on their journey to the water and seven of these disorientations occurred in Holmes Beach.

After nesting or hatching, adult and hatchling sea turtles are drawn by their instincts to the Gulf by the reflection on the moon and stars on the water’s surface. Disorientations can occur when lights visible from the shoreline attract turtles away from the water, making them vulnerable to predators, exhaustion or dehydration.

Holmes Beach has reported the most nests of the three island municipalities this season, with 226 nests as of July 23.

“We have the most nests right now because we have the darkest beach,” Holmes Beach code enforcement officer JT Thomas said July 18.

However, AMITW executive director Suzi Fox says Holmes Beach could be doing more to protect sea turtles.

According to Fox, the recent disorientations could be blamed on negligence. She said when nesting season began in May, she provided HB code enforcement with a list of properties that were in violation of the ordinances governing sea turtle safety regulations.

Fox sent an email to the city July 9, listing properties that were not turtle-friendly and asking to see a report stating the owners or managers of the properties had been noticed.

“It is now time for hatchlings to leave the nest,” Fox’s email read. “These lights could kill the hatchlings.”

As of July 21, Fox had not been provided with a report from the city.

According to Thomas, upon investigation of properties near where the disorientations occurred, it appeared to him that indoor lights in vacation homes could be to blame.

He said if a power outage occurs, lights on timers can get thrown off and need to be re-set by owners or management companies.

Additionally, Thomas cited a high turnover rate at vacation rentals, with visitors unaware of the laws governing sea turtle season on the island.

“A lot of people who are new to the island don’t know what to do,” Thomas said July 18. “We try to be pro-active and educate them verbally and through turtle watch handouts.”

Larry Chatt, vice president of Island Real Estate in Holmes Beach, which manages a number of short-term rentals on the island, says IRE aims to educate its guests. They provide renters with a flyer containing Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sea turtle nesting guidelines. Chatt said the turtle info sheet is one of three pieces of information given to guests at check-in.

“We make sure the sea turtle season information is not buried in other information,” Chatt said. “We want to make sure guests are aware of turtle season.”

Fox said educational materials are available for download on AMITW’s website at islandturtlewatch.com/lighting/ and she encouraged rental management companies to print the materials and leave them in rental units as a resource for guests.

“All of this nesting is the result of more than 30 years of conservation work,” Fox said July 18. “As you have more nesting, you need to be even more diligent, so we don’t see an increase in disorientations as well.”