Dolphin Tales: It’s loggerhead turtle nesting season
Loggerhead nesting season in Southwest Florida officially runs from May 1 to Oct. 31, with peak nesting and egg-laying activity occurring from late May through July.
During this period, female loggerheads emerge from the Gulf of Mexico at night to lay their clutches on local beaches including Sanibel, Captiva, Cayo Costa and Boca Grande. They travel from their ocean foraging grounds back to the exact region — often the exact beach — where they were hatched decades prior. This is called natal homing.
Loggerheads require undisturbed, sloping beaches above the high-tide line to dig their nests. The warm sand provides the necessary incubation temperature. The sand is 85 to 90 degrees and is perfect for incubation for about 60 days
While females come ashore to nest, adult males spend their entire lives at sea, migrating through the coastal nesting areas along the Gulf of Mexico to breed and forage. Loggerheads eat crustaceans and bottom-dwelling invertebrates.
Loggerheads traverse vast distances across the oceans, bringing them into frequent contact with commercial and recreational fishing gear. Entanglement occurs when ropes, nets or monofilament lines wrap tightly around their bodies. Entanglement in marine debris and fishing gear is a leading cause of injury and mortality for loggerhead sea turtles.
I had an unfortunate day on the water recently and witnessed an entangled loggerhead turtle on the west side of Punta Blanca Island. The turtle was belly up, flippers entangled and head down in the water. It kept trying to surface to breathe but was drowning. I called Florida Wildlife Commission. Even if the turtle survived, the open wounds caused by abrasive or tight lines are highly susceptible to infections, further threatening the turtle’s survival.
If you spot an entangled or injured sea turtle in Florida waters, do not attempt to untangle it or remove hooks yourself without guidance. Instead, immediately call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC.
Captain Cathy Eagle has spent over 45 years boating on our local waters. As a professional charter captain, she specializes in dolphin and nature tours. You can reach her at CaptainCathy.com or call /text (239) 994-2572. Welcome aboard!