Sea Turtle Nesting Season Reminders from the City of Indian Rocks Beach
Marine turtle nesting and hatching occurs each year from May 1st through October 31st. Female turtles come ashore in the dark,., dig a hole using their flippers and lay 100 to 150 eggs at a time. During the course of a season , a single female lays three to eigh nests. After a 45 to 70 day gestation period, hatchlings emerge from the nest at night and follow the moonlight reflecting off the Gulf.
These turtles return to the beaches where they were born, sometimes decades before.
TURN LIGHTS ON!
Turn out unnecessary beach lights to help prevent disorientation of female sea turtles and hatchlings. Close your curtains and be mindful of bright lights shining on the beach.
KEEP IT DARK!
Sea turtles can become disoriented from lights and illuminated objects visible from the beach. Most importantly, bright lights disorient hatchlings by attracting them inland where they often die of dehydration, predation, or are run over by motor vehicles. It is very important that occupants and managers of beachfront properties minimize the use lights that shine directly on the beach. Information about turtle friendly beach lighting can be found on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website (Sea Turtle Lighting Guidelines).
REMOVE OBSTACLES!
Knock down sand castles and fill in sand pits. This helps to eliminate the challenges the baby hatchlings must cross over on their way to the shoreline. Sand pits can be like the Grand Canyon and sand castles like Mount Everest to tiny baby sea turtles.
KEEP THE BEACH CLEAN!
Picking up trash eliminates items that both hatchlings and adults may become entangled in. Something as small as a bottle top or as large as unwanted beach furniture can pose potential problems, leading to both false crawl and disorientation.
DURING TURTLE NESTING SEASON (May 1 through October 31)
Daily early morning surveys for nests are performed during nesting season between May and November each year. Pinellas County contracts with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to monitor sea turtle nesting along all the nourished beaches. (St. Pete Beach turtle monitoring is done separately by the Sea Turtle Trackers. For more SPB information please contact Joe Widlansky 727.744.6524 or visit turtletrackers.org.) When nourishment projects are constructed, the aquarium staff relocates turtle nests within construction zones to areas outside of the construction zones, thus protecting the eggs from damage.
For further information, access either of the following websites:
Pinellas County (www.pinellascounty.com)
Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (www.myfwc.com)
(Sea turtle nesting information excerpted by the City of Indian Rocks Beach form the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Pinellas County websites.)
Ray Safety Tips
If you pay close enough attention you may get a glimpse of our local rays. Should you head to the beach it is important you take precautions to safeguard this native species as well as your ankles. Here is a brief list of information to know before you head to the beach:
We have THREE prominent species of rays in our waters.The cow-nose rays and spotted eagle rays ARE NOT likely to be the ones who will sting you.
– Cow-nose Rays
– Spotted Eagle Rays
– Atlantic Stingrays
– Cow-nose rays are swimming rays with their barb or ‘stinger’ on their ‘butt’ not on the tip of their tail. Cow-nose rays have a dark brown coloration and are often seen along our beaches swimming in groups. They are NOT the rays you will see buried in the sand. Best way to avoid getting stung by a cow-nose ray is to NOT handle them. If you see them swimming, just let them swim right on by and you should both be fine.
– Spotted eagle rays are the ‘pretty’ spotted rays you will see flying through our waters. They ‘fly’ out of the water to avoid predators or to rid themselves of parasites that attach to their ‘skin.’ Spotted eagle rays are considered a near threatened species with a declining population. It is illegal to fish or kill spotted eagle rays in Florida. Spotted eagle rays typically shy away from humans, but if threatened their tail has up to 7 venomous barbs that it can use to defend itself. In general, spotted eagle rays will swim away from you before you even spot them.
– Atlantic Stingrays DO NOT want to sting you. Their barb is their second and last line of defense. Their first line of defense is camouflage or burying themselves in the sand where their coloration blends in so you and other predators can’t see them. IF they do sting you, they risk losing that last line of defense because their serrated barb can ‘drop’ or stay in what they sting. It will then take well over a month for the stingray to re-grow their barb.
RAYS DO NOT LIKE FLYING out of the water, if you see a ray breach the surface one or multiple times it is likely a sign of a larger predator chasing them. Take caution if you see a ‘ray’ flying. You may not like what is chasing it.
ATLANTIC STINGRAY SAFETY TIPS
– ALWAYS shuffle your feet when you are not swimming in the water. The shuffling disturbs the sand and lets the stingray know something bigger is coming. The stingray will take the hint and swim away to get out of your path.
– Signs along the beaches include months when you are most likely to step on a ray, but NOT when rays are exclusively in our waters. You can find rays at any point throughout the year and should ALWAYS take the precaution of shuffling your feet.
– If you are stung, get home or to your hotel as soon as possible. The stingrays barb is coated in a neurotoxin that is not lethal, but is VERY painful. The sting will make a bee sting seem like a walk in the park. Once home (or at your hotel), put your foot in a bucket of the hottest soapy water you can safely handle. The heat will help to reduce the pain. After you have soaked your foot in HOT water for at least 2 hours or once the wound stops oozing, wrap the stung area in a clean bandage. Use a topical antibiotic to reduce the chance of infection and relieve pain.
– SEEK MEDICAL ATTENITION IF, you believe the ray ‘left’ part of its barb in your wound OR you feel nauseous, muscle cramping, chills or vomiting.
– The barb is serrated and can get stuck under your skin. If you see part of the barb in your wound or believe it has gotten stuck under the surface, seek medical attention to remove the barb. Due to the barb’s ‘serration’ it will be extremely painful and messy to remove if you do not know what you are doing.
– Stingray barbs are coated in a neurotoxin, NOT A VENOM. The wound should be very painful, but SHOULD NOT make you ill. If you feel any non-pain associated symptoms, SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION as these may be signs of allergic reaction or that you were stung by something else than a stingray.