Sea Turtle Season Update

Attachments

Sea Turtle Activity Update September 12.docx.pdf

Officially Sea Turtle Season 2023 will close at the end of October but according to sea turtle monitors, we only have four unhatched nests on the main beach and 3 nests in the construction corridor for the emergency repairs to the just completed “2022 Tigertail Lagoon/Sand Dollar Island Ecosystem Restoration Project.” 

On August 29th, Hurricane Idalia, though 150 miles to the west of Southwest Florida, brought waves that collapsed the newly constructed berms which in turn created wide breaches in many areas on Sand Dollar Island that brought ocean water washing into the lagoon. 

On September 8, 2023, the City Manager used his emergency authority to authorize the City to fund these repairs for $47,528.00, to reclaim beach sand displaced by Idalia. According to a press release issued by the City, “there is a limited window of opportunity to restore the berms without utilizing dredging machinery.” According to Ahtna Marine & Construction Co. (the contractor that provided the “restoration project,” they will be using long reach hydraulic excavators, and bulldozers to push materials in place and grade, as well as repair any escarpments. Excavators will reach as much backwashed sediments from the south flow channel and casting sediments to repair breaks in the eroded beach.

It is still nesting season and female loggerheads returning to nest on Sand Dollar Island - it is déjà vu all over again! In May 2023, female loggerheads returning to Sand Dollar encountered the ongoing dredging project. They ended their first month with 294 recorded false crawls. According to the Sea Turtle Activity Report for September 5-11, Marco recorded 429 false crawls (last year the same period recorded 205). 

In addition to the alarming record of false crawls for 2023, hatchling disorientation is also at an all-time high with 28 disoriented nests (out of 61 hatched nests to-date). In 2022, Marco Island recorded a total of ten, which made 2022 the fourth highest year of disorientation in Marco and highest in the county.

Just to be clear – hatchling disorientation, as reported by the sea turtle monitors, is a consequence of lights on the beach. It is not due to increased enforcement. If increased enforcement had an impact, Marco should be seeing a decrease in hatchling disorientation, not an increase each year.

From May 4th through August 29, 2023, through records obtained from Marco Code Enforcement, they issued 72 Notices of Violation (NOVs related to sea turtle lighting) to a total of 33 buildings on the beach. Twenty-three of these buildings are located on the main beach and 10 are located on Hideaway Beach. Five of these NOVs are for repeat offenders and they are scheduled to appear before the October Code Magistrate.

Under the new Sea Turtle Lighting Ordinance, “after one warning in a calendar year, excluding an irreparable event, the following shall apply:

• First Offense: minimum of $150.00, not to exceed $500.00 for each offense.

• Second Offense: minimum of $500.00, not to exceed $1,500.00.

• Third Offense: minimum of $1,500.00, not to exceed $2,000.00.

In addition, as per the sea turtle ordinance, “after an appropriate period to correct the violation, each day such violation continues shall be considered a separate offense. Additionally, each sea turtle or eggs that are killed injured, or molested shall constitute a separate violation. Any other person, who commits, participates in, assists in, or maintains such violation may each be found guilty of a separate offense and suffer the penalties herein provided.”