Sea Turtle Nesting Season Returns to South FL: What to Know

March 1 marks the return of the sea turtle nesting season, and as great as that sounds, myriad concerns come along with it.

Known as one of Florida’s most visited nonprofit scientific destinations focused on ocean and sea turtle conservation, Loggerhead Marinelife Center in June Beach has been at the forefront of issues regarding the health and concerns of sea creatures. Fortunately, the center has provided some deeper information on how the public can be better aware of what they can do to decrease the harm that’s affecting sea turtles during times like this.

Justin Perault, the vice president of research at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, has shared a wealth of information that the public may not know about nesting season. Perault grew up with a fascination for animals and the ocean, he did his undergraduate in Marine Biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and a Ph.D. at Florida Atlantic University and progressed to become a sea turtle biologist.

Justin Perault on Sea Turtle Nesting Season

What are some concerns that the public should know when it comes to sea turtles during nesting season?

The threats are numerous. One of the most important threats they face is climate change and subsequent sea level rise. As the Earth’s atmosphere warms, the nest can become too hot and that could prevent the hatching of those nests altogether because there is a lethal limit to which those embryos can tolerate temperature. Additionally, with the sea level rise and beachfront harboring, there’s a lack of suitable habitat available for a lot of these turtles to nest. With sea level rise there’s a lot of tidal indentation, especially during hurricane season, which can drown the embryos as they’re developing.

Also, another big threat is plastics, microplastics in the environment. About 98% to 99% of our smaller turtles that come into the hospital here at Loggerhead Marinelife Center have ingested some form of plastic, which can lead to a reduction in nutrient availability, and can cause perforation in their digestive tract and sepsis and all kinds of things like that.

Those are the three biggest threats that people should know about.

Are there any concerns regarding sea turtles that are more prominent in Florida?

Both climate change and plastic are ubiquitous, but one thing specific to Florida that stands out for this issue is the boating culture. People like to boat here, very frequently, while boating is a very fun activity, it’s also detrimental to a lot of sea life. So in Florida, we do see a lot of impact from boat strikes on a lot of our patients, it is one of the leading causes of mortality for sea turtles here in the state of Florida.

What can the public do to help preserve the sea turtles?

One of the biggest and easiest things for them to do is to be cautious about what they use on a daily basis. Do you really need to use that single-use straw or single-use spork or spoon? A lot of those single-use plastic items are impossible to avoid, but there are some that we can reduce our usage of to reduce the amount of plastic in the marine environment.

Something else that’s really important is if you’re on a nesting beach during nesting season. Remember that sea turtles are a protected species and they are wild animals, they have a fear response just like any other wild animal when approached. So it’s important to keep your distance when you’re on the beaches at night, be respectful of the environment, keep the lights off, and don’t stay too close to the sea turtles when they’re nesting.

The other thing is one of the major initiatives that we have here at Loggerhead: the sea turtle protection zone. So if you are out on a boat that’s OK, we just ask that you be a little bit more cautious of the marine life that is out there. We have the protection zone where we ask boat riders to go a little bit slower and about a mile offshore during the sea turtle nesting season which runs from March to October to avoid any potential impacts from boat strikes on sea turtles and other animals.

What can you tell us about the upcoming TurtleFest?

It’s a great event. We welcome 10,000 to 15,000 people every year. It’s a donation-based event so there’s no charge to get in, but we appreciate any donations that can help. We have fun and educational activities for the kids. You can come and see some of the wildlife animals that are being rehabilitated here for the time being. We’ll have a lot of local vendors, that’ll be selling clothes, collector’s items, food, and beverage. We even have a live band for you to enjoy, so there’s something here for everybody, from kids all the way up to adults.

Loggerhead Marinelife Center will host its 19th annual TurtleFest Presented by Amazon in Juno Beach on Saturday, February 24, from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. For more info, visit marinelife.org/turtlefest.