The first sea turtle nest of the season has been spotted and documented along the beaches of the First Coast, an excellent sign for many who have been worried about the impacts of beach closures.
The Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol says it's the earliest loggerhead nest documented in our territory.
But despite the early nest sighting, experts still aren't quite a sure how the season will turn out. Some are concerned that due to the beach closures, mother turtles could start laying eggs in places they normally don’t like commercial areas.
“You know, there’s no way to predict,” said Kevin Brown with the Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol. “They may come on up and, nobody’s here, I’m nesting,”
When open, locals know not to mess with the nests. It’s throngs of visiting sunbathers that Brown fears won’t know to leave the nests alone.
Turtle and nest safety depends on how the beaches are fully re-opened. The swarm of people could be dangerous to baby turtles trying to crawl to the sea.
What Can You Do to Save Sea Turtles?
- Become a conscious and responsible seafood consumer by asking where and how your seafood was caught. Choose seafood caught in ways that do not harm or kill turtles. Consult sustainable seafood information networks to learn about how and where your seafood is caught.
- Contact your local sea turtle stranding network if you see a sick or injured sea turtle.
- Support sea turtle conservation by getting involved. Support actions that help sea turtles.
What Can You Do to Protect Sea Turtle Habitat?
- Reduce marine debris that may entangle or be accidentally eaten by sea turtles.
- Participate in coastal clean-ups and reduce plastic use to keep our beaches and ocean clean. Trash in the ocean can harm sea turtles and other creatures that live there.
- Carry reusable water bottles and shopping bags. Refrain from releasing balloons, they'll likely end up in the ocean where sea turtles can mistake them for prey and consume them.
- Keep nesting beaches dark and safe for sea turtles. Turn off, shield, or redirect lights visible from the beach. Lights disorient hatchling sea turtles and discourage nesting females from coming onto the beach to lay their eggs.
- Do not disturb nesting turtles, nests, or hatchlings. Attend organized sea turtle watches that know how to safely observe nesting sea turtles.
- Remove recreational beach equipment like chairs, umbrellas, boats at night so sea turtles are not turned away.
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