InsideTrack Almanac 18_2 ISSUU

Record Number of Sea Turtles Nesting on our Shores
was a record year for sea turtle nesting along the Treasure
2012 Coast, producing the largest number of loggerhead nests ever
recorded, and local experts are hoping for another banner crop this year.
Leatherback turtles are the first to arrive in late February or March.
Loggerheads follow from April through July. The last to nest are the green
turtles who show up late May through October. According to nesting
counts issued by the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, 18,958 loggerheads,
3012 green turtles and 50 leatherback turtles laid eggs last year
along the Treasure Coast and Southern Brevard County. That’s nearly
3000 more than in 2011!
If you are lucky enough to witness a sea turtle as she lumbers to
shore, keep your distance as you observe one of nature’s greatest gifts.
It takes hours for her to haul herself up the dune, dig a hole and deposit
nearly 100 eggs. She then buries them and crawls back into the ocean
leaving tire-like tracks in the sand.
After incubating for approximately two months, the hatchlings erupt
as a group and scurry to the waters edge following the light of the moon.
Many are distracted by nearby lights and head it the wrong direction to be
crushed by cars or roasted in the sun. Others will fall victim to raccoons
or birds. Those who make it offshore spend the next two years clinging to
seaweed and drifting along coastal currents. Thousands drown in shrimp
trawls and fishing gear. Only a few reach maturity and may live for 20
or 30 years, spending their entire life in the ocean. The only time the sea
turtle comes ashore is when the female lays her eggs. It takes about 15
years before a turtle can reproduce but when she does, after traveling
thousands of miles, she’ll return to the same beach of her birth.
Turtle Watching Tips:
Minimize beachfront lighting by turning off , shielding or redirecting light
away from the beach.
Use your natural vision and moonlight when walking on the beach at
night as flashlights may deter the turtle from coming ashore.
If you see a nesting turtle, remain quiet and still and at a distance. Flash
photography, flashlights or human disturbance
may prevent her from nesting successfully.
Leave turtle tracks undisturbed
as researchers use the
tracks to identify the
species and mark the
nests from protection.
Volume 18 • Issue 2 25