Sometimes it’s better to leave things to the professionals.
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers Birgit Kremer and Hans Duerr told The Islander Aug. 2 that they discovered a sea turtle nest that had been disturbed by people near the 2200 block of Gulf Drive North in Bradenton Beach.
The incident left nine hatchlings stranded and weak.
Kremer and Duerr said they spoke with an observer who saw “people helping the hatchlings out” by digging into the nest by hand and forming a ramp in an attempt to aid the hatchlings to crawl from the clutch to the beach.
The pair of volunteers said they were making their rounds on the beach and located the displaced hatchlings. Six of the nine were immediately released into the water. The other three were too weak to release and were held by AMITW for observation.
When turtles hatch, they work together to leave the nest as they are not strong enough to make it up to the top of the cavity on their own. When people interfere with the natural hatching process, they disrupt the hatchlings’ teamwork.
Disturbing nesting sea turtles, the nests or the hatchlings is against state and federal laws. Lights, beach chairs and canopies or deep holes in the sand are hazards. All of the aforementioned — and people — can lead to the disorientation of nesting turtles and hatchlings.
In other nesting news, Kremer and Duerr located a fresh green turtle nest near lifeguard station No. 9 on Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach Aug. 2 and another was located Aug. 4 near the Gulf Drive Cafe in Bradenton Beach. The two nests bring the total to seven green turtle nests on the island beaches this year.
AMITW is a nonprofit focused on collecting data on sea turtles that are listed as threatened or endangered in Florida, depending on the species.
For more information, contact Suzi Fox, AMITW executive director, at 941-778-5838 or go to islandturtlewatch.com.