Page 7 - The Islander - December '20

The Islander, Page 7

loggerhead newS from page 6
Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s Nesting Season Ranks

Third In Its Thirty Years Of Surveying Sea Turtles

Despite the world’s seismic shift, Loggerhead Marinelife Loggerhead Marinelife Center
Center (LMC) cataloged another successful nesting season on Loggerhead Marinelife
its 9.5-mile stretch of beach, which spans from the northern Center (LMC) is a nonprofit sea
Palm Beach County line to the northern boundary of John turtle research, rehabilitation
D. MacArthur Beach State Park. Between Feb. 28 and Oct. and educational institution
31, LMC documented 16,935 sea turtle nests. Altogether, the that promotes conservation of
center’s research department recorded 286 leatherback, 13,059 ocean ecosystems with a focus
loggerhead and 3,590 green sea turtle nests. on threatened and endangered
“This year marks the third-highest nest count since we first sea turtles. The center features
began surveying sea turtle nests in the 1980s,” said LMC’s an on-site hospital, research
Director of Research, Dr. Justin Perrault. “In general, we hope laboratory, educational
that beachgoers abide by laws and regulations surrounding exhibits and aquariums, and Nesting emergence Nighttime nesting
nesting sea turtles. However, that is not always the case given also operates the Juno Beach
female sea turtles can be scared backed into the water or impeded Pier, which hosts world-class
by beach debris, sandcastles, holes, flashlights and human angling and sightseeing.
presence.” Situated on one of the world’s
According to LMC’s own data, loggerhead nesting success on most important sea turtle nesting
Juno Beach was 60 percent during the two-month beach closures beaches, Loggerhead Marinelife
due to COVID-19 from mid-March to mid-May. When beaches Center is open daily and hosts
reopened, nesting success dropped to 48 percent. In other words, over 350,000 guests free-of-
the data showed that there were a smaller proportion of false charge each year. The center’s
crawls during closures, which is when nesting mothers crawl conservation team works with
onto the beach and return to the water without laying eggs. 90 local and international
Despite nesting season being officially over on Oct. 31, organizations across six
hatchlings are still anticipated to be observed on local beaches in continents to form partnerships
the next few months. It is advisable to avoid touching unhatched and share conservation
eggs, properly dispose of debris so as to not leave it behind on the initiatives and best practices
beach and fill in holes in the sand, among other best practices. that are core to its mission of
The nesting site that LMC monitors is one of the most ocean conservation. The center
densely nested sea turtle beaches in the world. In its several- is expanding and has launched
decade timespan, LMC has developed a comprehensive dataset its Waves of Progress capital
to promote sea turtle and ocean conservation and has recently expansion campaign, designed
produced collaborative manuscripts regarding the impact of heat to accelerate and amplify LMC’s Hatchling Dr. Justin Perrault, nighttime surveys
on hatchling health, mercury concentration in tissues of marine conservation and education
life, common viruses in green sea turtles and more! impact. When complete, the facility will offer one of the world’s Photos courtesy of Loggerhead Marinelife Center.
Need a reason to celebrate? The center and its research most advanced and unique experiences for guests and scientific Acquired through a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
department can give you 16,935. For more ways to support sea partners. For more information, visit www.marinelife.org or Commission (FWC) permit.
turtle research, please consider donating to LMC’s Annual Fund. call (561) 627-8280.

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