Nesting Sea Turtles Face New Hazard
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Nesting sea turtles are facing a new 21st century hazard - someone snapping a flash photo with a cell phone.
With the official start of the sea turtle nesting season on March 1st, Florida wildlife officials are asking locals to not interrupt their natural nesting process.
Officials are advising people not to take cell phone flash photos of sea turtles on the beach at night since it might interfere with their nesting.
"Most visitors to the beach don't realize that any light on the beach at night poses a threat to these threatened and endangered animals. A nesting female may become frightened or disoriented by lights or a flash photo and return to the ocean without laying eggs. Lights on the beach at night also could interfere with adult or hatchling sea turtles trying to find the ocean after nesting or hatching," said Dr. Robbin Trindell, who leads the FWC's sea turtle management program.
From March 1st until the end of October, three different species of sea turtle will be laying their eggs on Florida's Atlantic and Gulf coast beaches.
Wildlife officials say locals can help conserve Florida's sea turtles through a number of steps:
- Remain at a distance from nesting sea turtles and hatchlings.
- Remove chairs, canopies, boats and other items from the beach at night, because they block the movement of turtles and hatchlings.
- Turn off and avoid using outdoor lighting along the beach
- Fill in holes in the sand at the end of the day, so nesting sea turtles and hatchlings don't fall in and get stuck.
- Dispose of fishing line
- Report sick, injured, entangled or dead sea turtles to the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline, 1-888-404-3922 (FWCC).
