seeing red.
IMAGE Sea turtle release after spending some time in Mote’s Hatchling Hospital.
Each year, thousands of visitors from all over the world make their way to the Florida coast... and no, I’m not talking about people.
During summer 2019, I spent five days a week, on the beach. My work began at sunrise. I participated in an internship program with Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, a place that I typically refer to as "Disney for Marine Biologists". Spending more hours on the beach than I did in my own bed, I got to know the tourists, locals, seabirds, manatees, and especially and most closely, the sea turtles that visit Casey Key each nesting season, making the journey back to the key after many years of being born on that same beach, likely within only a few kilometers of where their journey first began.
IMAGE Sun rising early in the morning on Longboat Key.
Each day began with responding to new sea turtle activity that occurred overnight. Fortunate enough to have been an intern dedicated to working on Casey Key, I spent my summer on one of the most frequented sea turtle nesting beaches in Florida. During prime nesting season, there was not one mile of sand on Casey Key that did not contain an entire nest of baby sea turtles incubating a few inches under the sand. During the month of July, I would return to Mote with anywhere from 20-40 data-sheets in my backpack, each from a brand new sea turtle visiting from below the water’s surface, to the sandy, shelly shore.
Having arrived at the beach earlier than most human visitors, the first thing I would notice from a new sea turtle activity is the crawl that begins near the water line — makes its way further up the shore, and eventually returning back to the waterline.
IMAGE Rainbow over Longboat Beach, with a flagged sea turtle emergence from Mote volunteers.
If the turtle had found a good place to lay a nest, and decided to lay her eggs there, it was made obvious by the leftover "sea turtle angel", made by her large carapace, flippers, and head...
During the month of August and September, the beach became painted with a similar marking, but much, much smaller, and with only one entry track that begins somewhere along the sand and ends in the water. I like to call these "Happy Tracks"... because this is a sign that a bucket-full of baby sea turtles (scientifically referred to as hatchlings) were able to make their way to the surface of the sand and into the ocean with no complications!
But not all of the tracks I encountered were “happy”.
IMAGE Disoriented sea turtle hatchlings to be released after rescue.
Every now and then, especially on more trafficked keys such as Siesta and Lido, we would see a "disorientation" event, meaning the hatchlings would head in the wrong direction. Usually this is caused from inappropriate beach lighting, i.e., white lights from beach visitors trying to see in the dark, or from nearby homes and condos. Sea turtles make their way back to the ocean by following the white light reflecting off the water from the moon. If they see white lights in any other direction... they may head that way instead. Most disorientations lead to sad news for the hatchlings... getting lost costs them the energy they needed to make it out to the sea, and when the sun comes up, they quickly get stuck in roots, beach furniture, or become a snack for a seabird.
IMAGE John Benitez | @johnnybenitez_. Beach condo lit up at night.
Thankfully, there are other options for lighting that still allows humans to see in the dark (and allows sea turtles find their way to their true home).
Red lighting is the kind of lighting you want to use in your home, on your beach visit, or at your beach resort/condo if it is anytime after sunset or before sunrise during nesting season (April-October).
IMAGE tim| @timbbbk. Red light.
While light pollution is certainly a threat to sea turtles while they are on land, another pollution awaits them in the sea...
IMAGE Casey Key during sunrise.
Plastic and trash fills our oceans now more than ever. Here is a picture of plastic that I found on the beach in one. single. day. See a pattern?
IMAGE Plastic from several hours of field work on the beach.
Most are single use plastics, from water bottles to straws to plastic bags. All of which have a reusable, sustainable substitute that could have prevented this trash from ending up in the ocean and on our land.
Plastic bags are particularly bad for sea turtles because, when drifting in the water, they resemble a jellyfish. Jellyfish are one of the main sources of food for some sea turtle species, especially the Leatherback, one of the most endangered species of sea turtles. Plastic bags are not digestible by sea turtles, and end up choking them, in many cases, ending in their death.
Luckily, there are great alternatives to replace the need for plastic bags. Investing in only a few, and keeping them in a convenient location, can save a sea turtle's life (it is that easy).
Between sunrises, sunsets, sea turtles, sharks teeth, sea glass, and the great blue sea itself, the beach is an indescribably mystic place to be. Like all precious things, it is also a vulnerable place, prone to litter, habitat degradation and loss, and a variety of other threats to wildlife.
IMAGE Sea turtle Hatchling on way out to see, following in another adult sea turtles tracks.
One minute of convenience is not worth threatening our biodiverse marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and all of the amazing creatures that call this earth home. Let's make a change on our beaches, on our lands, and in our sea. The smallest difference can make a huge impact, when done collectively. Replace your plastic toothbrush with a bamboo one. Say no to plastic bags, straws, and other single-use plastics. Minimize your light and noise pollution that breaks wildlife's natural rhythm.
Not only will I thank you, but so will the Sea turtles, the ocean, and the planet.
IMAGE Conversing with the public during a hatchling release.
*This sea turtle monitoring, research, or rescue was conducted under Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission Marine Turtle permits 027, 054, 070, 048, and 028.
