Sea turtle hatchlings faced a difficult morning July 28, pushed by breaking waves back to the island beaches, unable to swim to deeper water in the Gulf of Mexico.
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring executive director Suzi Fox said she was inundated with calls from beachgoers who found hatchlings wandering across the sand.
“I have never in my life received that many calls,” she said.
The washback is the first that Fox has seen in the 25 years she’s worked with sea turtles. According to Fox, washbacks are common on Florida’s east coast, but rare for the west coast.
The washbacks were caused by turbulent water conditions following a weekend of storms. As the hatchlings tried to swim into the Gulf, the waves pushed them back to the shore.
Fox said stakes for four nests were lost in the stormy weather. Because the nests can’t be located, it is unknown if the hatchlings are drowned. Beachgoers are asked to be careful when inserting umbrellas and other items in the sand due to potentially unmarked turtle nests.
As of July 29, AMITW had collected six hatchlings from the washback, with an unknown number put in the water by supportive beachgoers.
“People started putting them back so quickly,” Fox said. To help deal with the issue, Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer allowed a drop-off of rescued hatchlings at the station, where the hatchlings were kept comfortable in a cooler.
“It was a huge help,” said Fox, who received about 25 calls at once from people who found turtles on the beach.
One beachgoer, Sarah Whitney, was visiting from St. Louis. She found a loggerhead hatchling while picking up trash on the shore in Holmes Beach.
“I’ve never seen a baby turtle before. It felt like an honor,” Whitney said.
When she saw the hatchling, it was struggling to get out past the break into the Gulf. Whitney said waves kept knocking the turtle back to the beach. After about 15 minutes, during which time a crowd gathered, another observer called AMITW and Mote Marine Laboratory to find out how to help the sea turtle.
After receiving instructions over the phone, the turtle was placed in a bucket with damp sand, which was retrieved by AMITW volunteer Glenn Wiseman.
Whitney said she was glad they made the call and didn’t try to put the turtle into the water. “I’m glad we did the right thing. So it has a little bit better chance,” she said.
Fox believes the washback issue may be over. However, she said anyone who finds a turtle wandering the beach should gently place the hatchling in a bucket with damp sand and cover it with a cloth to allow the turtle to rest, then contact AMITW.
Turtle hatchlings usually emerge from their nests at night, when the sand is cool. It takes about 10 minutes for them to reach the water and swim out to the weed line, where they get food and rest.
Hatchlings trying to enter the Gulf after sunrise are potentially exhausted from their efforts and may not have enough energy to make the journey.
Fox said the hatchlings found on the beach would be given time to rest and taken out to the weed line by boat or released on the bay side of the island where water conditions are more favorable after sunset or early in the morning when the sand and water are cooler.
A bonus of the bad weather is a boom in turtle nesting, with 12 new nests laid July 28-29. Fox said the turtles may have been waiting for the rough weather to pass before coming to shore to lay nests.
“You cannot stand in front of a woman ready to give birth,” Fox joked.
To contact AMITW, call 941-778-5638.