A team from the Sanibel Captive Conservation Foundation is relocating sea turtle nests on Captiva in preparation for the island’s upcoming beach renourishment project.
Sea turtle nests are being moved to suitable beach habitat outside of the project area on Captiva or to Sanibel within 12 hours of being laid to minimize damage to eggs caused by movement.
A carefully studied technique for moving eggs is used to avoid disrupting embryonic development.
The foundation is working with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission on this project, and the SCCF team will analyze how the relocated nests fare over the season.
More about island sea turtles
The SCCF recently documented the sixth green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) nest on the islands — laid by Holly, a green turtle SCCF tagged in 2019.
Holly has a history of nesting in the daylight near the lighthouse.
The SCCF team has also documented 443 loggerhead (Caretta caretta) nests on the islands — 332 on Sanibel and 111 on Captiva.
Call the SCCF Sea Turtle Hotline at 978-728-3663 to report any issues with nests, nesting turtles, or hatchlings.
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