Layer: Sea Turtle Nest Densities (ID: 28)

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Name: Sea Turtle Nest Densities

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Description: The State of Florida, through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, coordinates the Statewide Nesting Beach Survey program (SNBS). The SNBS was initiated in 1979 under a cooperative agreement between FWC (then DNR) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Its purpose is to document the total distribution, seasonality, and abundance of nesting by sea turtles in Florida. Three species of sea turtles, the loggerhead (Caretta caretta), the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), and the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), nest regularly on Florida's beaches. Two other species, Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and the hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) also nest but in very small numbers. All the species are listed as either Threatened or Endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Survey data are derived from observations of tracks and other nesting sign left on the beach by sea turtles. Species identifications and determinations of nesting vs. non-nesting emergences are based on the evaluation of visible features of the track and the nest. Data are gathered on more than 200 beaches through a network of permit holders consisting of private conservation groups, volunteers, consultants, academics, local governments, federal agencies, and the Florida Park Service. Annual nest counts for the state represent a minimum estimate because not all nesting activity is recorded on surveyed beaches and not all nesting beaches in Florida are surveyed. Nest density classifications of “low”, “medium” and “high” were developed for loggerheads, green turtles and leatherbacks according to quartile ranks. For the loggerhead turtle, ranking was done within genetic subunits; ranks for green turtles and leatherbacks were on a statewide basis. Hawksbill turtles and Kemp’s ridleys were denoted only as present or absent on individual beaches. Surveys in the SNBS program may vary with respect to start/stop dates, frequency, duration and beach length between years for a particular beach, as well as between beaches. This variability in the surveys, combined with the dynamic nature of sea turtle nesting activity, make the quartile ranking system for the beaches, rather than average nesting densities over a small number of years, a more appropriate measure of the level of nesting activity that takes place on a particular beach. Survey results are used by managers to evaluate and minimize impacts to turtles and their nests due to human activities such as coastal construction, beach renourishment, and recreation, as well as to identify important areas for enhanced protection or land acquisition. Direct contact by managers with the appropriate state data provider is highly recommended to obtain more detailed information about the surveys on a particular beach.

Copyright Text: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Statewide Nesting Beach Survey program coordinator

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