SARASOTA COUNTY (WSNN) – Today marks the first official day of Sea Turtle nesting season.
Five types of sea turtles nest from May first to October 31st in Florida. They include Loggerhead, Green, Leatherback, Kemp’s Ridley, and Hawksbill sea turtles.
The ones we see most often in Sarasota County are loggerheads and green turtles.
According to the FWC, more than 130,000 threatened and endangered sea turtles nest on Florida beaches.
This is the reason why starting this weekend, all the local ordinances go into effect.
- Don’t approach nesting turtles, remain quiet, and observe from a distance.
- Fill in holes and knockdown sandcastles, so as not to entrap sea turtles on their way to the water
- Artificial lighting and beach furniture should be turtle-friendly
“Lights should be off or shielded if possible,” Sea Turtle Conservation & Research manager with Mote Marin Lab, Melissa Bernhard said. “And beach furniture should be pulled up off the beach as much as possible if not all the way off the beach so that we can limit sea turtle interactions with it, which can deter them from nesting or cause them injury.”
Bernhard says Sarasota County has the largest loggerhead population in the Gulf of Mexico.
You can track weekly nesting numbers here.
If you see a sick, injured or stranded sea turtle in Sarasota or Manatee county waters, contact Mote Marine Laboratory’s Stranding Investigations Program at 888-345-2335. Outside of Sarasota or Manatee counties, please call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at 888-404-FWCC (3922).