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Sea Turtle Report 7-11-24

The first two nests on Marco were disoriented. Not the good news we were hoping to hear.

According to the sea turtle monitors, the hatchlings from the first nest were found near one of the hotels two days after they hatched. Between lights on the beach and the rain, there were no visible tracks from the first nest. But finding hatchlings so long after an emergence means they are disoriented. The nest was excavated and contained 130 empty shells. Only two live hatchlings were found and returned to the Gulf.

The second nest on the Gulf side of Hideaway Beach did have tracks and every single one of them led towards the houses on Hideaway Beach. According to the monitors, “They will have a better idea of how many there were after the nest is excavated.”

An additional challenge other than bright lights on the beach during sea turtle season is the night fishermen on the beach using spotlights and posting their catch on social media. One posting was of a hammerhead shark caught live with the claim that “All their catches are returned safely and healthy,” yet there was also a photo posted showing a dead hammerhead that washed up on South Beach. According to Science Daily, “Just because a shark swims away after it is released, doesn’t mean that it will survive the encounter.”

According to the FWC website on hammerhead fishing, “It is unlawful to harvest, possess, land, purchase, sell or exchange this species commercially or recreationally in state waters of Florida as they are included on the state prohibited species list. However, this species is still taken in federal waters. Considered to be dangerous, ranking seventh in unprovoked bites in humans.”

So, on Marco’s beach protected sea turtle hatchlings are disoriented (causing irreparable and irreversible harm), and vulnerable shark species are being caught legally for sport and profit. Some shark fishing may be legal, but sea turtle lighting ordinances should still apply.