High nesting numbers show 2014 turtle power

Turtle nesting season is coming to a close: A loggerhead laid the final nest of the year Sept. 6, on Lido Key.

According to Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program, preliminary counts show 2,459 total nests from Longboat Key to Venice — just 10 nests short of the record-breaking nesting season in 2012. A total of 2,448 loggerhead turtle, nine green turtle and two Kemp’s ridley turtle nests were documented.

“The turtles turned out in great numbers this year, and in some ways the outcome was better than our record year in 2012,” said Kristen Mazzarella, senior biologist of Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program, in a news release. “While we ended just short of our past record, we think our nests produced more hatchlings than ever before because we did not have severe storms washing out hundreds of nests like we had in 2012.”

There were 543 nests on Longboat Key, 278 of which were in Manatee County and 265 of which were in Sarasota County. Lido Key beat its record, tallying 98 nests this year. False crawls, in which a turtle emerges and then returns to sea without nesting, totaled 2,220.

Mote’s Hatchling Hospital treated its highest number of patients in five years; it received more than 2,000 hatchlings between May and August. More than 200 remained in the hospital for an extended period of time, and 20 hatchlings are still in the hospital’s care.

“We hope to return them to sea soon,” said Holly West, Mote’s sea turtle care coordinator, in the release. “Our goal is always to return them to the wild.”

Although new nesting activity has ended, nests will continue to hatch. Until nesting season ends Oct. 31, beaches should remain dark and obstacle-free so that hatchlings can safely reach the water.

“Many of our local beaches still offer up obstacle courses to nesting females and hatchlings,” Mazzarella said. “Nests have been disturbed by predators, such as raccoons, armadillos and coyotes, and sometimes turtles have become trapped by beach furniture and other man-made obstructions.” 

From 2010 to 2014, between 23% and 40% of hatched nests on Longboat Key experienced disorientation due to improperly lit beachfront streets and properties. Mote scientists estimate disorientation rates of 30% this year.

LOGGERHEAD NESTING: BY THE NUMBERS
                                                                  False
                                               Nests        Crawls
Longboat — Manatee        278            268
Longboat — Sarasota        265            258
Lido Beach                           98              94
Siesta Key                            281            300
Casey Key                           1,165         1,025
Venice                                  361             275
Totals                                    2,448         2,220