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By Pandora Dewan
Senior Science Reporter
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Record numbers of sea turtle hatchlings have been found disoriented on Fort Myers Beach in Florida, according to local conservation group Turtle Time.
Disorientation events like these are often fatal for these already threatened species. But what is causing the confusion?
"Sea turtles have been around for 110 million years, way before Volta, Davy, Swan and Edison came up with their lightbulbs," Kathy Worley, director of environmental science at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, told Newsweek.
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"Before we lit up the sky with our lights, sea turtles would navigate to the water by heading towards the brightest part of the horizon—the ocean," Worley added. "Adult female nesting sea turtles use this method to find their way back to the water, and baby hatchlings use the same method to find the ocean for the first time in their lives."
However, in our 24/7 society, the ocean is often not the brightest point on the horizon. "Sea turtles now get disoriented by heading toward outdoor and even indoor residential or commercial lights, street lights, car lights, etc, thinking they are heading toward the ocean," Worley said.
Of course, light pollution is nothing new. So what is making the disorientation particularly bad this year? It may have something to do with the extreme weather we saw across the state last fall.
"So far, contrary to what many people may think, overall Hurricane Ian did not seem to have impacted nesting numbers in southwest Florida," Worley said. "What it did do, however, was leave obstacles on the beaches and waterways that sea turtles had to navigate around."
This is very concerning for the health and survival of these threatened and endangered animals. "Once they head inland and lose their way, hatchlings in particular are vulnerable to predation and dehydration, whereas adults might need to be rescued," Worley said.
Florida is home to five different species of sea turtles: green turtles, loggerheads, hawksbill, Kemp's ridley and leatherbacks. These are all listed as either threatened or endangered.
"Sea turtles are the ultimate survivor, truly a living dinosaur," Worley said. "Through our ignorance and greed, we have decimated their populations."
As well as light pollution, turtles face many threats in their environment, including loss of habitat, fishing gear, boats, invasive species like hogs and coyotes, poaching, plastic pollution and climate change.
"Since temperature largely determines whether an egg becomes a female or a male, if temperatures rise quickly, the population could become skewed toward female," Worley said.
If you live in an area with nesting sea turtles, here's what you can do to protect them, as suggested by Worley:
- If you live near the ocean, turn off your exterior lights during sea turtle season or use turtle-friendly long-wavelength ones (560 nanometers or longer), which appear amber or red.
- If you live on the beach, close your curtains to cut down on interior lights.
- Pick up your trash and properly dispose of plastics.
- Don't release balloons, since sea turtles mistake them for food.
- Don't leave beach chairs, picnic tables, umbrellas or recreational equipment on the beach overnight where they can become an obstruction to nesting sea turtles.
- Don't approach or disturb nesting sea turtles.
- Fill in large holes and knock down sand castles that could be a barrier to nesting sea turtles.
Conservation efforts are also vital to support these vulnerable animals. "Through recovery programs and nest protection initiatives, like the Conservancy of South Florida's on Keewaydin Island, we are starting to see numbers slowly increasing, and I am proud to have had a small role in helping this magnificent animal," Worley said.
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