NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. — With the holiday weekend and the unofficial start of summer fast approaching, beachgoers need to remember that we share the beach with nesting sea turtles.
Kevin Brown, field supervisor for the Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol, stressed the acronym “CDF” - clean, dark, flat.
Starting with “clean,” keep the beaches clean of debris and plastics. Plastics can get in the way of turtles trying to make it to the dunes or back to the water. Plastics can also be mistaken for food.
“There have been documented issues of plastic bags in the esophagus of sea turtles and of straws caught in the nostrils,” said Brown.
“Dark” represents keeping lights off the beach at night. Flashlights or flash photography can disrupt or disorient turtles.
“I told you about the example from last night, when someone had a flash and it drove a turtle back into the water,” Brown said, referencing a person who recorded a nesting sea turtle with flash Monday night and ultimately discouraged the mother turtle from laying her eggs.
Finally, keeping the beaches “flat,” which Brown said is a major issue, especially during holiday weekends and in the summer.
“People love to dig holes,” said Brown. “A nesting female can get caught in that hole and not make it to the dune line. Hatchlings, when they emerge, can get caught in those holes and not make it to the ocean.”
Brown said to come to the beach and have fun, but remember to leave it how you found it – without trash, obstacles or holes.
Anyone who encounters a nesting turtle, hatchlings, or a dead, injured or disoriented turtle, call Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol at 904-613-6081. If you see a dead, injured or disoriented turtle outside of Neptune, Atlantic or Jacksonville Beaches, call Florida Fish and Wildlife Alert at 888-404-3922.
Nesting season runs until October 31, so keep these tips in mind through the summer and fall seasons.