{Tropical Storm} Debby damages turtle nests (PC, Naples, Collier Co.)

[eppur_se_muova]

Last edited Thu Jul 5, 2012, 03:09 PM - Edit history (3)

JESSICA McCARTHY / News Herald Writer


PANAMA CITY BEACH — Local beaches are experiencing a record turtle nesting season, but Tropical Storm Debby destroyed loggerhead sea turtle nests on her way through.

Kennard Watson, director of Turtle Watch Program of St. Andrew Bay Resource Management Association, said it wasn’t the rain that did the damage.

“We lost four nests due to storm surge; that occurred on Sunday when the surge swept the beach,” Watson said. “We could not get people down there in time.”

He said there is some good news though.

“We were able to salvage some of the eggs from those nests and several other nests were washed over but are still in place,” Watson said. “Nests higher up on the dunes are dry and not damaged at all.”

He also said the salvaged eggs were moved to a dry spot in a higher location and will be monitored until they hatch, which should be sometime next month.
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more: http://www.newsherald.com/articles/nests-103739-panama-beach.html#ixzz1zm4FwHfT




ETA: related articles: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/jul/04/about-80-percent-of-collier-sea-turtle-nests-in/
http://www.twenty-fifty.com/southwest-floridas-sea-turtles-after-tropical-storm-debby
Very heavy losses in some areas.

[rfranklin]

1. I saw this firsthand on the beach in Captiva...

The local turtle patol tried to unbury the nests but they said they had been underwater so long that they doubted any would hatch.