By Capt. Chris Thalmann Contributing Writer
Hello and welcome to September! It’s been a while since we had a sea turtle update in this column, so I thought we’d take a look at how things are tracking so far this year. While we’re approaching the end of nesting season on October 31st, there are still quite a few turtles around. This means there may be quite a bit of nesting activity yet to come! October 31st doesn’t mean much to a sea turtle, and nesting activity often continues well into November. As of mid-August, researchers have recorded about 15,000 sea turtle nests on northern Palm Beach County beaches. 2021 is on track to be a solid year though it likely won’t reach the levels seen in 2020 and 2019. That’s not necessarily reason for concern – 2019 was a record shattering year and 2020 was – well – it was 2020. The shutdowns of 2020 weren’t exactly great for people. But for sea turtles, having fewer people on the beaches might have led to higher rates of successful nesting. Sea turtles are easily startled, and they can be very particular about where they choose to nest. Debris or holes on the beach, steep beaches or sand dunes, exposed rocks, lights, loud noises, and the presence of people can all be deterrents to successful nesting. Other natural factors can also affect nesting for many years into the future. Cold-weather will sometimes kill huge numbers of adult sea turtles, while hurricanes and other storms can destroy nests before hatchlings can even emerge. These events can represent generational losses – meaning generations of sea turtles may just be lost. It can take many years for populations to recover from losses like these. Traditionally there hasn’t been much people can do about natural losses – although in 2018 and 2019, volunteers helped excavate and move hundreds of unhatched turtle nests ahead of oncoming hurricanes. And in early 2021, many more helped rescue thousands of adult sea turtles from deadly cold conditions along the Gulf Coast. Without help from people, it’s certain tens of thousands more sea turtles would have succumbed to generational losses. Sea turtles don’t have a great rate of survival as it is. Florida’s FWC estimates only about 1/10th of 1% survive to adulthood – that’s about 1 out of every 1,000 turtles. So, when people can help protect the survival of adult turtles in particular – the effect can be huge! Fortunately, there are some pretty easy ways to help. If you’re boating, wear polarized sunglasses and have someone watch for turtles just ahead of your boat. Slowing down helps too, especially when traveling between Lake Worth and Jupiter Inlets. Turtles pop up for air often and despite their size and shells, they’re no match for a boat. Take your time and enjoy a relaxed cruise – your reward may just be some late-season turtle spotting. Happy exploring – hope to see you on the water! Captain Chris Thalmann Owner | Aqua Adventure Tours, Inc. aquaadventuretours.com
Captain Chris Thalmann
Owner | Aqua Adventure Tours, Inc. • aquaadventuretours.com