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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/orl-locturtles11091104sep11,1,1208449.story
Frances Disrupts Turtles' Nesting Season
The storm swept away the reptile's prime beaches along the state's east coast in an already difficult year.
By David Fleshler
Tallahassee Bureau
September 11, 2004
FORT LAUDERDALE -- Thousands of sea turtle nests were destroyed by Hurricane Frances as the storm tore through their most important beaches in the middle of nesting season.
Robbin Trindell, biological administrator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said Frances may have destroyed 40 percent to 60 percent of the loggerhead and green sea turtle nests made in 2004, a year that had already seen a sharp decline in turtle nesting.
The storm swept away the beach at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, a 20-mile stretch in Brevard County that holds about one-fourth of the sea turtle nests made annually in the United States.
Although many nests at Archie Carr had already been abandoned as baby turtles hatched and crawled to sea, many were in place when the storm struck. Paul Tritaik, the refuge's manager, said the number of nests lost was "probably in the thousands."
The huge reptiles, which can weigh more than 1,000 pounds, crawl up the beaches at night to dig holes in the sand and lay 100 or so eggs. After a few weeks, the eggs hatch, and the hatchlings rush into the ocean to avoid birds, crabs and other predators.
Having evolved in a tropical environment, sea turtles have adapted to hurricanes. But scientists and environmentalists say it is more difficult for sea turtles to recover from storms today, as people develop their beaches, kill turtles for food, and ensnare them with long lines and shrimp nets.
"The environmental impact may be more than the species could sustain," Trindell said.
The hurricane destroyed about 30 loggerhead and green nests when it eroded part of the beach in Boca Raton, said Kirt Rusenko, marine conservationist at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. It washed away at least 200 nests in Hillsboro Beach, said Lou Fisher, a biologist for Broward County.
In Pompano Beach, it buried about 225 nests under up to 2 feet of sand. These nests had been moved to Pompano Beach from other locations because that city has an ordinance requiring coastal buildings to dim their lights during nesting season to avoid disorienting hatchlings. While the extra sand deposited by Frances may kill hatchlings, biologists plan to dig channels through the sand to allow surviving hatchlings to escape to sea.
"What long-term effect this storm will have on the population of sea turtles is totally unknown," Fisher said. "We just keep doing what we can to make sure this year's crop gets out there."
Endangered leatherbacks, the largest of the sea turtles, escaped harm because their nesting season was over and they had all hatched, Trindell said. But the storm struck with one-fourth to one-half of the threatened loggerhead turtle eggs still in the sand. And endangered green turtles took the hardest hit, since about three-quarters of their nests were in place when the storm hit.
The prime nesting areas in the United States run from northern Palm Beach County through Volusia County, areas that got raked by Hurricane Frances.
Even before two hurricanes struck the state, this was turning out to be a bad year for sea turtle nests. Biologists along the coast were reporting nesting down by a third to a half, and no one knew the reason for the decline. Last year about 66,700 sea turtles nested in Florida.
Biologists also worry about what will happen to remaining nests as people clean up after the storms. "Let's protect what we have left," Trindell said.
Frances Disrupts Turtles' Nesting Season
The storm swept away the reptile's prime beaches along the state's east coast in an already difficult year.
By David Fleshler
Tallahassee Bureau
September 11, 2004
FORT LAUDERDALE -- Thousands of sea turtle nests were destroyed by Hurricane Frances as the storm tore through their most important beaches in the middle of nesting season.
Robbin Trindell, biological administrator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said Frances may have destroyed 40 percent to 60 percent of the loggerhead and green sea turtle nests made in 2004, a year that had already seen a sharp decline in turtle nesting.
The storm swept away the beach at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, a 20-mile stretch in Brevard County that holds about one-fourth of the sea turtle nests made annually in the United States.
Although many nests at Archie Carr had already been abandoned as baby turtles hatched and crawled to sea, many were in place when the storm struck. Paul Tritaik, the refuge's manager, said the number of nests lost was "probably in the thousands."
The huge reptiles, which can weigh more than 1,000 pounds, crawl up the beaches at night to dig holes in the sand and lay 100 or so eggs. After a few weeks, the eggs hatch, and the hatchlings rush into the ocean to avoid birds, crabs and other predators.
Having evolved in a tropical environment, sea turtles have adapted to hurricanes. But scientists and environmentalists say it is more difficult for sea turtles to recover from storms today, as people develop their beaches, kill turtles for food, and ensnare them with long lines and shrimp nets.
"The environmental impact may be more than the species could sustain," Trindell said.
The hurricane destroyed about 30 loggerhead and green nests when it eroded part of the beach in Boca Raton, said Kirt Rusenko, marine conservationist at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. It washed away at least 200 nests in Hillsboro Beach, said Lou Fisher, a biologist for Broward County.
In Pompano Beach, it buried about 225 nests under up to 2 feet of sand. These nests had been moved to Pompano Beach from other locations because that city has an ordinance requiring coastal buildings to dim their lights during nesting season to avoid disorienting hatchlings. While the extra sand deposited by Frances may kill hatchlings, biologists plan to dig channels through the sand to allow surviving hatchlings to escape to sea.
"What long-term effect this storm will have on the population of sea turtles is totally unknown," Fisher said. "We just keep doing what we can to make sure this year's crop gets out there."
Endangered leatherbacks, the largest of the sea turtles, escaped harm because their nesting season was over and they had all hatched, Trindell said. But the storm struck with one-fourth to one-half of the threatened loggerhead turtle eggs still in the sand. And endangered green turtles took the hardest hit, since about three-quarters of their nests were in place when the storm hit.
The prime nesting areas in the United States run from northern Palm Beach County through Volusia County, areas that got raked by Hurricane Frances.
Even before two hurricanes struck the state, this was turning out to be a bad year for sea turtle nests. Biologists along the coast were reporting nesting down by a third to a half, and no one knew the reason for the decline. Last year about 66,700 sea turtles nested in Florida.
Biologists also worry about what will happen to remaining nests as people clean up after the storms. "Let's protect what we have left," Trindell said.
