Escambia County Sea Turtle Nesting Season Wrap Up

Escambia County’s 2020 sea turtle nesting season officially ended this week. One nest remains on Pensacola Beach and will be monitored by staff until its hatch date.

Unfortunately, Hurricane Sally contributed to the loss of the remaining 11 nests that were still incubating on Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key.

While the nesting season has ended, visitors and residents should still practice turtle-friendly behaviors, like keeping beachfront lighting off when not in use and removing all items from the beach each night, to protect other coastal species. Although turtles are no longer nesting on our beaches, they’re still present in area waterways. Boaters should be on the lookout for turtles resting at the surface or feeding in shallow areas. Turtles may remain near the Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier and Escambia County Sea Turtle Ambassadors volunteers will continue to walk the pier to aid in the event of a hooked or entangled turtle. Staff will remain on standby to respond to stranded or cold-stunned turtles, especially as temperatures begin to drop.

The county recorded 28 nests this season, with 18 nests on Pensacola Beach and 10 nests on Perdido Key. While 24 of the nests were loggerhead, the county also recorded one green and two Kemp’s Ridley nests.

Early in the nesting season, visitors on Pensacola Beach were treated to a Kemp’s Ridley nesting on Casino Beach in broad daylight. Kemp’s Ridley are considered one of the rarest sea turtles in the world and are the only known day-time nester. This is the third year in the row Pensacola Beach has recorded a Kemp’s Ridley nest.

Heavy tropical storm activity throughout the summer washed out several nests and flooded or buried several more. Nests that remain inundated for long periods of time or buried by additional sand have low chances of hatching success. If hatchlings do make it to the surface, they must navigate a tricky maze of disorienting lights, hungry predators and dangerous obstacles left by beach-goers. Several nests also displayed signs of fertility issues, with several nests having high numbers of undeveloped eggs.

Volunteers were on hand to witness a 90% nest hatch on Pensacola Beach, with every hatchling finding its way into the Gulf of Mexico. And during a post-Sally assessment, volunteers discovered 14 live hatchlings, which were safely released at the water’s edge. Volunteers contributed over 1,000 hours to daily morning patrols, nest monitoring and assessment and community outreach.

The 2020 season also served as the pilot year for the new Sea Turtle Ambassador program, which was designed to help engage and educate the public in sea turtle conservation. Despite the challenge of COVID-19, Sea Turtle Ambassadors worked to get educational information into the hands of businesses, hotels and community partners. New signage and increased presence at the Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier have started to show an improvement in hooked turtle response and awareness. Ambassadors also established relationships with property managers on Perdido Key to improve Leave No Trace efforts and visitor education.

If you find a dead or injured turtle, call Escambia County Marine Resources at 850-426-1257 or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Comission Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-3922. All sea turtle work performed by Escambia County was completed under Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission permit #032.

For more information about the Escambia County's Sea Turtle Conservation program visit www.myescambia.com/seaturtles.