Sea turtle patrols begin on Anna Maria Island ahead of nesting season
Anna Maria Island sea turtle patrols begin
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring begins its annual sea turtle patrols on Tuesday as concerns linger in the aftermath of the 2024 hurricanes. FOX 13’s Regina Gonzalez reports.
ANNA MARIA ISLAND, Fla. - With sea turtle nesting season about to pick up, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring is officially kicking off its annual turtle patrols.
Prevalence of sea turtles
By the numbers:
According to wildlife experts, five species of sea turtles swim and feed around Anna Maria Island, with the most common neater being the loggerhead.
Nests have been spotted as early as April, although nesting season doesn't technically start until May.
Pictured: Sea turtle hatchlings.
Last year, there were 685 nests and 835 false crawls – all from loggerhead sea turtles – a record number of nests laid in one season.
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring documented 284 nests hatched and more than 20,000 hatchlings produced.
READ: Florida man cited for shooting, killing great blue heron and duck on his property: FWC
Concerns after 2024 hurricanes
Dig deeper:
Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton wiped out a lot of sea turtle nests last year while also destroying vegetation and the dune system on Anna Maria Island.
"So without that dune structure creating a boundary between civilization and the beach, it can cause our turtles to become more confused and possibly disoriented more likely," said Carly Oakley, manager of Clearwater Marine Aquarium's Sea Turtle Conservation Program. "It does not also block out that artificial light, so that also makes it harder for them to navigate back toward the water."
READ: Anna Maria Island City Pier remains cut off from land after damage from Hurricane Milton
What you can do:
Turtle Watch is asking people to use red or amber turtle-friendly bulbs and shields, block lights, or to simply turn off outdoor lights at night in order to prevent disorientation.
Anyone who sees a sea turtle in distress on Anna Maria Island is urged to call 941-301-8434 or the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.
What's next:
Turtle Watch will hold a kickoff party on May 1 from 3-6 p.m., during which the organization will give out turtle-friendly light bulbs.
For more information on Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring, click here.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Regina Gonzalez.
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