- May 16, 2024
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The 2024 sea turtle nesting season is here.
Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium announced the first nest, a loggerhead's, was recorded on Venice Beach on April 28. The official start to nesting season is May 1. It runs until Oct. 31.
“Now that we have identified the first nest of the season, we implore beachgoers to be conscious of the sea turtles while enjoying Florida’s unparalleled beaches,” Senior Biologist and Conservation Manager Melissa Macksey said in a press release. “There are many simple ways to help protect sea turtles and their nests. Hatchlings will have a better chance at surviving if everyone does their part.”
Mote monitors about 35 miles of beach. Beginning on April 15, turtle patrols, like Longboat Key Turtle Watch, conduct daily walks until the end of turtle season. Longboat Key Turtle Watch’s public beach walks begin on June 1.
As of April 30, there were no nests yet on Longboat Key, according to the Longboat Key Turtle Watch.
As May 1 marks the official beginning of nesting season, that also means the start of Longboat Key’s various ordinances outlined in Chapter 100 of the town’s code.
The town initiative, “Flip a Switch, Save Our Turtles,” reminds residents that any lights that are visible from the beach need to be turned off, shielded or replaced with turtle-friendly bulbs or fixtures.
High-intensity bulbs should be replaced with turtle-friendly alternatives like amber, orange or red LED bulbs at the lowest wattage possible.
The town’s ordinances also include keeping the beaches clean and free of debris. That means structures like beach chairs need to be removed from the beach daily from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Failure to comply with any of these regulations during nesting season could result in code enforcement violations.
Longboat Key’s town code also states that new single-family or multi-story properties should use tinted or filmed glass on windows or doors within direct sight of the beach. Existing properties must take measures to reduce or eliminate the effects of artificial light. Those could include turning off unnecessary lights, applying tint or using window treatments like blinds or curtains.
For weekly nesting counts, visit Mote’s website at Mote.org/2024nesting.
Last year, there was a total of 4,284 nests recorded by Mote from Longboat Key to Venice. There were 4,091 loggerhead nests and 193 green turtle nests.
That was the fifth-highest number of nests in Mote’s 40-year program history. It was also the highest number of green turtle nests recorded in program history.
Nesting on Longboat Key had a strong and early start. There were 307 nests recorded in the first month of the 2023 season. In the 2021 season, there were 165 nests on Longboat Key in the first month.
There were 978 loggerhead and 12 green turtle nests on Longboat Key in 2023. Lido Key had 184 loggerhead nests and no green turtle nests. On Siesta Key, there were 364 loggerhead nests and seven green turtle nests.
Macksey previously told the Observer that disorientation rates were high in 2023, similar to those seen in 2022.
A disorientation occurs when artificial lights cause nesting mothers or hatchlings to become confused and veer off course. The artificial light mimics the natural moonlight that turtles usually go toward.
According to Macksey, Longboat Key had one of the highest disorientation rates in the state.
In 2022, 262 of Longboat’s 1,294 nests were disoriented, which meant a disorientation rate of 20.2%.
Macksey compared Longboat Key to Casey Key, which usually has a higher nesting density but is similar in terms of lighting. In 2022, Casey Key’s disorientation rate was 1%, according to Macksey.
Correction: This article has been updated to state that there were 262 sea turtle disorientations on Longboat Key in 2022.
