By Jim Aucoin
Editor and Publisher
Loggerhead sea turtle tracks on Gulf Coast.
Endangered sea turtles started their nesting on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico May 1 and will be continuing until about October 1. The turtles are beautiful and fascinating, but they need to be left alone and protected. You may have seen a turtle swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, or even on a Gulf beach. Adult turtles can weigh 100 to 1000 pounds, depending on the species.
With hundreds of thousands of people visiting the beaches now, it is imperative that vacationers not disturb the turtles or their nests, which are protected by federal law. Fines and imprisonment can be the result for scoundrels who think turtle nests or sea turtles are something to play with.
The upper Gulf Coast averages more than one hundred nests each season. The species most common are loggerheads, though a few leatherbacks, hawksbills, Kemp’s Ridleys, and green turtles crawl ashore to nest as well. Most of the mommas come ashore during the night when it is cooler for them to be out of the water and predators are less likely to be around. They crawl up the beach and scratch out a nest, depositing from 50 to 120 eggs. Then they return to the sea, never to return to the nest.
Interestingly, the mother turtles return to the area where they were born decades earlier. And a female will nest three to four times in one season.
It takes 45 to 65 days for the eggs to hatch. And they will hatch at night. When the baby turtles emerge from the nests, they make their way into the water before the sun comes up.
Only Kemp’s Ridleys will nest during the day, and their eggs will hatch during daylight.
The numerous condos, houses, and businesses that have been built along the beaches interfere with the nesting behaviors of the turtles. Volunteers have formed Share the Beach, an organization devoted to finding the nests, marking the nests, and watching the nests to protect them from human interference.
A staked sea turtle nest on the Gulf Coast.
If you’re on the beach as the sun is coming up, you’ll likely see some of the hundreds of volunteers from Share the Beach in their distinctive green T-shirts walking the beaches, searching for new nests. Once a nest is found, volunteers, working with state and federal game wardens, will put up wooden stakes on the four corners around the nest and stretch plastic tape around the stakes. They post signs identifying the nest as being protected by federal law. They will also put a metal grate over the nest to keep out natural predators like coyotes.
A young loggerhead turtle on the Gulf Coast.
Several human behaviors make it tough for the turtles. Vacationers like to dig big holes on the beach to play in. If these holes are left on the beach overnight, a mommy turtle can get stuck in one of them. Unable to get out, she can die from heat exposure once the sun comes up. So, if you dig a hole, please fill it back in before you leave for the evening. (Humans, too, can be harmed by the holes. If they don’t see them as they walk along the beach they can fall in.)
Another problem for mother turtles coming ashore are beach furniture pieces left overnight on the beach. A mother turtle can become disoriented if she runs into a beach chair, a tent, a cooler, or other structure on the beach. Some cities, such as Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, have ordinances against leaving items on the beach. City employees will remove items left on the beach and dispose of them.
Lighting also causes problems for baby turtles. Hatchlings depend on seeing the shapes and shadows generated by stars and the moon when they emerge from the nest. This helps them move away from the dunes. Consequently, they find the water using the minimal lighting from the celestial lights. If a house or condo or a streetlight shines light on the beach, the baby turtles can move toward them instead, which takes the turtles away from the water. Eventually, hatchlings will die or be killed if they can’t find the surf quickly enough.
In general, trash causes all kinds of problems, so please pick up your plastic bottles, empty beer cans, and other trash items and dispose of them properly. The plastic and trash make the beach unpleasant, but they can also get into the surf and float out to sea. Sea life, including turtles, can get tangled in plastic or can ingest plastic and die.
If you see a turtle in distress, call 1-866-732-8878 to report it.
Enjoy your time on the beach, but also be good stewards of Mother Nature by respecting the needs of the endangered sea turtles.
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