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Apr 20, 2008 3:29 pm US/Eastern
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Florida's Loggerhead Turtle Nests Hit Record Low
Lowest Number Of Loggerhead Nests In Recorded History
Florida's loggerhead turtle populations are on the decline.
According the latest report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in 2007 researchers found 45,084 nests for the threatened turtles, down more than 4,600 nests from the year before.
"Data collected during the 2007 season indicate the lowest nesting levels in Florida" in the history of the monitoring program concluded the report. In 1998, the state reported 85,988 nests.
Nearly 90 percent of all the loggerhead nests in the country are found in Florida.
But not all the news is bad. While the number of loggerhead nests has declined, green and leatherback turtle nests have shown an increase at the same beaches.
"There's no simple answer for this disparity," said Anne Meylan, who coordinates the statewide nesting beach survey program.
Meylan said a number of factors can affect the turtle populations; disease, oil spills, red tide and boat collisions kill many sea turtles while beach development can disturb or destroy nesting sites.
One factor that could be affecting loggerheads more than other sea turtles is shrimp boat nets and long-line fishing hooks. Loggerheads eat shrimp and other hard-shelled invertebrates, whereas other sea turtles do not.
Several years ago, Florida passed a rule that required shrimp fisheries to use turtle excluder devices on their nets which would allow turtles to escape as the catch was being hauled into the board. Because loggerheads take up to 30 years to begin reproducing, it could be decades before the effect of that rule is observed in nesting numbers.