Sea turtles may be through nesting this season, but 179 of the 458 turtle nests laid on Anna Maria Island have yet to hatch, and Turtle Watch asks that lights be turned off to let hatchlings more easily find the Gulf of Mexico.
Of the 11,796 hatchlings produced so far this season, which began on May 1, between 1,974 and 4,470 hatchlings were disoriented by lights, according to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring. Of those, 171 were found dead, most in Bradenton Beach.
Sea turtles nest and hatch at night and during that time, the relatively dark background of the dunes and the vegetation that blocks the night sky enables them to locate the relatively brighter ocean that reflects the night sky, including the stars and the moon, according to Turtle Watch.
It’s important to keep the landward side of the beach dark so hatchlings can navigate easily to the Gulf waters, according to Kristen Mazzarella, executive director of Turtle Watch. Any light directly or indirectly visible from the beach can disorient sea turtles by disrupting the dark background, especially if they create a bright background which can look like the night sky. This includes spotlights, pool lights, flashlights, cellphones, decorative uplights, interior lights and even skyglow from inland sources.
Until turtle season ends Oct. 31:
• Check your property for any lights that can be seen from the beach and make sure they are turtle friendly — low to the ground, shielded and red or orange.Turtle-friendly lighting also benefits other wildlife, like migrating birds, by darkening the night sky.
• Don’t use cellphone lights, flash or flashlights on the beach at night. This can temporarily blind turtles and disorient hatchlings farther down the beach.
• Educate vacation renters to keep blinds or drapes closed at night and turn off unnecessary lights.
• Fill in holes dug on the beach and knock down sandcastles so hatchlings don’t get trapped on their way to the water.
• Take furniture and trash with you when you leave the beach. Leave the beach clean, flat and dark for the turtles.
• Call AMITW’s 24-hour hotline 941-301-8434 if you find any hatchlings, dead or alive. Don’t put them in the water.
Turtle Watch is excavating each nest three days after it hatches to see how many eggs were in the nest and how many hatched. Nests that were inundated during Tropical Storm Bertha, which flooded the beaches, did not have good hatch rates, according to recent excavations. Beachgoers are invited to watch if they see an excavation; occasionally a live turtle hatchling is discovered in a nest.