Be kind to marine life during July festivities and year ‘round
Sarasota Bay resident dolphin with boat strike scars. Credit: Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (NMFS Permit No. 15543)
As you enjoy southwest Florida's coastal waters this summer boating season, Mote Marine Laboratory, a nonprofit research and education institution, recommends that boaters follow state boating regulations and use caution to avoid striking sea turtles, manatees and dolphins.
“We encourage residents and visitors to enjoy Florida’s gorgeous beaches and waters, while keeping in mind that many marine species share these environments," said Dr. Michael P. Crosby, President and CEO of Mote. “If you enjoy these beautiful ecosystems, the best way to say ‘thank you’ is to respect and protect them during the busy summer holidays, and year ‘round.”
Mote, the Sarasota Police Department, and Suncoast Charities for Children – a nonprofit that provides funding support to Suncoast Foundation for Handicapped Children, Inc. through events like the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix festival – would like to share the following wildlife-friendly tips ahead of the Grand Prix and Independence Day festivities in early July.
Protect sea turtles and birds on the beach
All sea turtle species are threatened or endangered, protected under state and federal law. Sea turtle nesting season spans May 1-Oct. 31 along Florida’s Gulf Coast, where Mote scientists monitor nesting every day of season along 35 miles of beaches from Longboat Key through Venice.
The Sarasota County Sea Turtle Protection Ordinance requires that any “temporary structures, including but not limited to beach chairs, umbrellas and cabanas which have the potential for entrapment of marine turtles and which may interfere with the use of the natural beach environment for nesting habitat, be removed from the beach nightly, from sunset to sunrise.” This prevents entanglement hazards and obstacles for sea turtles and their hatchlings, which normally emerge at night.
Beachgoers should not approach nesting turtles or hatchlings, make noise around turtles and their nests or use fireworks, flashlights or fishing lamps on the beach. Artificial lights can disorient nesting turtles and their hatchlings. Please avoid sea turtle nests marked with yellow stakes and tape.
Ordinances upheld by the City of Sarasota and Sarasota County require that public beaches be closed from 11 p.m. until sunrise from June 30-July 10. Therefore, Lido Key beach will be closed until sunrise during the July 1 and 2 Grand Prix races and the 4th of July events. Beachgoers should wait until at least sunrise (approximately 6:30 a.m. during the boat races) to set up furniture or equipment. This will allow any new turtle crawls and nests to be documented by Mote scientists. If you see turtle tracks not yet documented (crossed out with an "X"), please avoid placing furniture on them if possible and report their location to Mote's Turtle Patrol at 941-388-4331.
During the Sarasota Grand Prix weekend, the Sarasota Police Department will post signs prohibiting beachgoers from storing and leaving unattended personal property on Lido Beach. This is intended to protect beachgoers and their belongings.
Please avoid seabird nesting areas bounded by ropes. (Seabird information is available from www.audubon.org/content/audubon-florida). Lido Beach has a large nesting colony of black skimmers. The birds and their nests are vulnerable to human disturbance, fireworks and to predation by domestic dogs, raccoons, crows and gulls. Any harassment or taking of protected birds, their young, their nest or their eggs, is a violation of Florida law.
Dogs are not allowed on Sarasota County beaches other than Brohard Paw Park in Venice, where they must be leashed or under voice control, according to county ordinances.
Suncoast Charities for Children fully supports using best practices to protect Florida wildlife.
“Our Board of Directors and Powerboat P1 USA fully support all measures implemented to ensure that we can all safely share our beaches,” said Festival Director Lucy Nicandri. “Powerboat P1 USA has committed to implementing environmental protection measures in partnership with its event partners during all local racing events and has directed the P1 Marine Foundation to undertake a local environmental awareness and education program in support of the shared mission to safeguard and restore the marine and coastal environment.”
Watch out for dolphins, manatees and turtles at sea
Up to five concurrent generations of long-term resident dolphins live in Sarasota Bay year-round, and they give birth during late spring and summer. To date, 12 new babies have been born to Sarasota Bay mothers. Dolphins do not, or cannot always get out of the way of approaching boats, and fatal collisions and serious injuries to dolphins occur in Sarasota Bay. The dolphins frequent shallow waters where they may be unable to dive below an approaching boat. Naïve newborn dolphins lack the skills and experience to avoid boats, and have to surface more frequently to breathe than do older dolphins. Most dolphin deaths and injuries from boat strikes have occurred in the weeks surrounding July 4. NOAA guidelines indicate that boats should stay at least 50 yards away from dolphins.
Watercraft collisions are the leading human-caused threat to Florida manatees. Propellers and boat hulls inflict serious or mortal wounds, and most manatees have a pattern of scars on their backs or tails after surviving collisions with boats.
Manatees are currently on the move in the Sarasota Bay for foraging and mating, and the bay provides a home for mother manatees and their newborn calves. During the summer months, people might observe mating herds – several manatees gathered as males vie to mate with a female. It is best to observe herds from a distance without disrupting the animals' natural mating behavior, as adult manatees typically weigh upwards of 1,000 pounds and people can be seriously injured by a thrashing manatee.
Sea turtles are swimming just offshore to mate and females inhabit nearshore waters between nesting events before they come ashore to nest. So far this year, Mote's Stranding Investigations Program and the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospitals have responded to 62 stranded sea turtles including 24 affected by human activity.
Additional tips for boaters:
- During the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix races on July 1 and 2, boaters can tune into VHF channel 16 to hear stop orders due to marine animals in the race area, and they can access the race live streams at www.facebook.com/P1SuperStock and www.facebook.com/P1AquaX.
- Follow 10 simple dolphin-friendly viewing tips on how to enjoy your day on the water while helping to protect dolphins, available on this PDF. These tips were made with dolphins in mind, but they're also great guidelines for the best ways to view all large marine animals.
- Wear polarized sunglasses to better see marine life in your path.
- Never feed marine wildlife. Click here to watch a PSA about why it’s harmful and illegal to feed wild dolphins: www.dontfeedwilddolphins.org
- Stow trash and line when under way. Marine debris that accidentally blows overboard or out of a vehicle can become ingested by or entangled around marine life.
- For additional information about sharing the inshore and coastal environment with Florida’s marine mammals, check out a book by Dr. John Reynolds and Dr. Randall Wells entitled “Dolphins, Whales and Manatees of Florida: A Guide to Sharing Their World” (published in 2003 by the University Press of Florida, Gainesville. ISBN 0-8130-2687-3: 148pp).
Emergency contacts
For concerns about sea turtle nests, nesting sea turtles or hatchlings, call the Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program at 941-388-4331.
Within Sarasota or Manatee county waters, if you see an entangled, stranded or dead dolphin, whale or sea turtle, please call Mote's Stranding Investigations Program, a 24-hour response service, at 888-345-2335.
If you see an entangled, stranded or dead manatee anywhere in state waters, an entangled, stranded or dead dolphin, whale or sea turtle outside of Sarasota or Manatee counties, harassment of dolphins, manatees, or turtles, or disturbance of nests please call the FWC Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922), #FWC, *FWC on your cellular phone or use VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio.