Erosion along about a mile of beach south of the Fort Pierce inlet jetty has significantly reduced Florida sea turtles’ nesting habitat — and no mothers have dug nests to lay their eggs there so far this season.
Biologists can’t say for sure whether the erosion is directly to blame, as nesting typically is low and late on that stretch of South Beach — perhaps because of the lights and activity from people walking on the jetty, the beach and going to bars and restaurants in the area.
Regardless, to make matters worse, a beach nourishment project to replenish the lost sand is a cause for concern and runs contrary to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s sea turtle protection guidelines. The Army Corps of Engineers has hired Manson Construction Co. to place about 400,000 cubic yards of sand there.
The work will start as turtles are beginning to nest on Florida’s most crucial stretch of nesting beaches from Brevard through Broward, which require special protections from March 1 through Oct. 31.
Crews have begun staging equipment at the site and could start pumping sand as soon as March 16. Work will be done 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including weekends and holidays, until completion in mid-May, according to St. Lucie County spokesperson Erick Gill.
Ecological Associates Inc. of Jensen Beach will relocate sea turtle nests as needed, Gill said.
“This area typically has a lower nesting density than other parts of Hutchinson Island, so this is not unusual,” Ecological Associates biologist Lauren Maline said about the lack of nesting there so far this year. “The first leatherback nest on South Beach was not laid until April last season.”
Farther south on Hutchinson Island, four leatherbacks got an early start this year, laying eggs in February.
Florida, FWC protects sea turtle nests
The concerns at South Beach are the same for an unrelated beach renourishment project in Jensen Beach. Noise, activity, obstacles, uneven sand and the wrong kind of sand can stop sea turtles from nesting, FWC says.
“Nesting sea turtles look for dark, quiet beaches to lay their eggs. Lights from buildings along the beach distract and confuse the females,” FWC says. “Any distractions may frighten and disorient her, causing her to return to the ocean before completely covering and camouflaging her nest.”
Rebuilding the eroded South Beach will require crews, lights and heavy equipment on the beach.
“If the renourishment is done during nesting season, there is also a possibility nests will be buried too far underground or be run over by trucks,” FWC says. “If the sand is of a different consistency or is too compacted, the nesting behaviors of turtles can be drastically altered.”
Artificial lights can disorient mothers and hatchlings, directing them away from the ocean. They can die from dehydration, exhaustion, predation and being hit by cars if they make it to A1A, FWC says.
After nesting, some mothers “often travel hundreds of yards in the wrong direction, ending up in parking lots, swimming pools and on busy thoroughfares,” FWC says.
Hatchlings emerge about two months after their mothers laid their eggs, “from about June through October, though sometimes as late as winter,” FWC says.
The article continues below.
How to help Florida sea turtles and hatchlings
Tim O’Hara is TCPalm’s environment reporter. Contact him at tim.ohara@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida beach erosion and sand restoration may affect sea turtle nesting
Reporting by Timothy O’Hara, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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