The first nest of green turtles on Sanibel Island this year hatched this week, and 49 of the sand-dollar-sized endangered species stumbled, rumbled, and bumbled their way into the Gulf waters and swam off.
Dellora, a green sea turtle well-known to local researchers, laid the nest.
First tagged 10 years ago on Keewaydin Island by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, she’s been observed on the beach a dozen times during the past seven years.
“Even though green turtle nesting season is said to typically begin in June, Dellora is usually a little early,” Jack Brzoza, a SCCF biologist, said. She “tends to be one of the first greens we’ve encountered in a nesting season.”
Green sea turtles are officially listed as endangered worldwide and in the U.S., but Florida has become a stronghold in their recovery.
Over the past 30 years, green turtle nesting numbers in Florida have increased, although sea turtle biologists report that the numbers vary each year.
The Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge on Florida’s Atlantic coast is now one of the world’s largest green turtle nesting areas — the species has laid more than 10,000 nests there in a single season.
Southwest Florida beaches, such as Sanibel, Captiva, and Keewaydin islands, are typically home to no more than a few dozen each summer.
Most adult female green turtles return to the same stretch of beach where they were born — called “natal homing” — and typically breed every two to four years.
The recovery of the green turtle is encouraging, but scientists worry about the same things that can kill any of the seven sea turtle species: habitat loss, marine debris, boat strikes, declining water quality, and the effects of rising sand temperatures due to climate change.
Read more
- Juvenile green sea turtle, perhaps blown inland by Hurricane Ian, found thriving in freshwater pond
- Promising start to sea turtle nesting season ends in disappointment
- Sea turtle nest counts for 2024: lower numbers for some species, solid, record numbers for others
On Sanibel and Captiva islands this year, there were 14 green nests – but the loggerhead turtle rules, and rules all on the islands with nearly 9,000 hatchlings crawling from hundreds of sandy nests.
In Southwest Florida, sea turtle nesting season runs from May 1 through Oct. 31.
Sea Turtle Nesting Season Do’s and Don’ts
Do:
- Use red-filtered lights on the beach at night
- Turn off or shield beachfront lights
- Remove chairs and toys at the end of the day
- Fill in holes, flatten sandcastles before leaving
- Stay away and stay quiet near nesting turtles
- Avoid nest markers and roped-off areas
- Report injured or disoriented turtles to
1-888-404-3922
Don’t:
- Use flash photography or shine lights on turtles
- Touch, feed, or handle turtles or hatchlings
- Dig holes or leave trenches in the sand
- Leave trash or food on the beach
- Bring dogs or pets onto nesting beaches
- Drive vehicles on the beach without permission
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by Volo Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
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