Loggerhead Nests Drop By 4,600 In Florida
Spotting a loggerhead sea turtle waddling back to the surf, or even discovering a flipper-mark trail to the water or a caged nest of eggs, is among the special joys of Florida beachgoers.
But such sightings are becoming less and less frequent.
Florida accounts for 90 percent of the nation's loggerhead nests, which have dwindled by half since 1998. The most recent count, according to figures just released, shows the state down another 4,692 nests. Just 45,084 were counted last year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says.
"There is not a simple answer to this," says Anne Meylan, who coordinates the statewide nesting beach survey program. "That green turtles and leatherbacks are doing so well on these same beaches says that something is going wrong specifically for the loggerheads."
Disease, oil spills, red tide and boat collisions kill many sea turtles, she says. Beach development also takes a toll on all wildlife. But the loggerheads' drop-off - they're on the U.S. threatened species list - can be blamed in large part on shrimp boat nets and long-line fishing hooks. Unlike some sea turtles, loggerheads go after shrimp and other hard-shelled invertebrates, which puts them in particularly dangerous situations.
"There has only been a rule for a few years that shrimp fisheries must use nets with turtle excluder devices," Meylan says.
"Loggerheads take up to 30 years to begin reproducing, but live to between 50 and 100. So, it will be decades before we begin to see a positive impact on their numbers because of the turtle excluder devices, called TEDs, that allow them to escape."
