SCCF Gears Up for Sea Turtle Season

Sea turtle nesting season begins on April 15 and runs through Oct. 31. Leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) — rare on the Gulf Coast — are typically the first sea turtles to venture to Florida’s shores, signaling that it's time to have preparations fully underway for SCCF’s daily monitoring surveys. On Sanibel and Captiva, much more common loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) tend to start laying in late April.

Organizing Personnel

“One very important aspect of prepping for the season has been completing the sea turtle program staff roster,” said Sea Turtle Biologist Jack Brzoza. “Interviews are conducted to hire seasonal positions, including a daytime technician, daytime intern, and two nighttime tagging interns. This year, we’ve also hired a full-time biologist to lead the nighttime tagging program.”

Simultaneously, sea turtle volunteer scheduling occurs. More than 80 volunteers are assigned patrol zones and days, and new participants are introduced to the program through mandatory trainings that cover everything from SCCF's sea turtle monitoring history to how to find and identify new sea turtle crawls. Additionally, staff and permitted individuals have participated in seminars and meetings organized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which serve as continuing education and ensure SCCF’s permitted sea turtle activities can continue to occur on Sanibel and Captiva.

“Preseason is also a time for volunteers to catch up with one another, and we’re pleased that the majority of them will be returning this year,” Brzoza said. “Our program owes many of its successes to our volunteers’ continued passion and dedication of their time to protect our islands’ sea turtles. We truly couldn’t undertake this effort without them.”

Equipment & Logistics

The sea turtle team could not complete its monitoring duties without the use of beach vehicles. Preseason preparation includes maintenance, repairs, and protection measures on existing and newly purchased ATVs and UTVs. Tasks also include inventorying, purchasing, and staging nest-monitoring supplies — everything from signs and posts to mark off nesting areas to predator screens to pencils.

SCCF has four survey routes, and each has a staging site equipped with vehicles and the items necessary to document and monitor all nests discovered on morning patrols.

“Once all these preparations are finally completed and everything is double-checked,” Brzoza said, “all that's left to do is wait for the sunrise on April 15!”

Beach Habitat Viability After Hurricane Ian

Barrier islands such as Sanibel and Captiva are dynamic systems that are frequently affected by extreme weather events but sea turtles and shorebirds have many strategies to survive strong storms.

Sea turtles adapt by diving deeper, increasing their range, and shifting habitat use. Birds are sensitive to barometric pressure changes, so when a storm is approaching, they often move inland to seek shelter and reduce activity to conserve energy.

“Storm-induced habitat changes can sometimes be beneficial to imperiled species that rely on sandy beaches to lay their eggs,” said Coastal Wildlife Director Kelly Sloan. “For example, Hurricane Ian removed beach vegetation that can obscure approaching predators, creating more favorable habitat for nesting shorebirds.”

Some of the gullies — small valleys created by running water — that formed on beaches are providing ephemeral pools that support foraging birds.

“However, once these run dry, they may create potential holes that trap sea turtles, flightless shorebird chicks, or injured or sick birds,” Sloan explained.

There may be other impacts, too. Population declines in various species, including freshwater turtles, have been linked to degraded seagrass and marsh habitat that is also used by loggerheads (Caretta caretta), Kemp’s ridleys (Lepidochelys kempii), and green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas)

More extreme tropical storms linked to climate change have the potential to negatively affect beach habitat, thereby harming the snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus) population, breeding range, and nest abundance.

SCCF staff will continue to monitor Hurricane Ian’s beach impacts and their potential effect on the 2023 sea turtle and shorebird nesting season.