It’s the tail end of a survival tale.
The end of the sea turtle nesting season has arrivedfor the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers.
AMITW identified 421 sea turtle nests since May and all have hatched or been accounted for, with some unhatched.
As the May – October season nears its end, executive director Suzi Fox looks back on what worked and what AMITW may need to adopt next year.
It ran really well this year, according to Fox, even with a limited number of volunteers as compared to prior years.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission requested Fox address the other state marine turtle permit holders about the island program.
Fox said she will restart the educational Turtle Talks and head back to schools to resume education on sea turtles in the near future.
But before that happens, the last of the nests will be excavated, and stakes and plaques removed. The plaques will be sent to donors that adopted the nests and supplies will go back in storage until next season.
One of those last nests was excavated by AMITW volunteer Bill Booher Oct. 9 at Coquina Beach near Lifeguard Tower 9 on Gulf Drive South in Bradenton Beach.
The green turtle nest yielded 83 hatched eggs and one unhatched egg.
In other news, Holmes Beach resident Vic Caserta discovered a dead adult loggerhead Oct. 7 on the beach while jogging near 28th Street in Holmes Beach.
Caserta forwarded his photos to Dr. James Powell with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, who concurred with his assessment that the turtle had likely been struck by a propeller in the Gulf of Mexico.
There are five to 10 sick, injured or dead adult sea turtles reported statewide to the FWC on a weekly basis, according to FWC media contact Carlisle Jones.
About AMITW
AMITW is a nonprofit, permitted by the state and focused on collecting data on sea turtles which are listed as threatened or endangered in Florida, depending on the species.
For more information, go online to islandturtlewatch.com or call executive director Suzi Fox at 941-232-1405.
