Sea turtle nesting season in partnership with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF), continues its commitment to protect these threatened and endangered species. Nesting and hatchling emergence will occur between May 1st and October 31st and we ask all residents and visitors to follow the guidelines below to help us ensure a successful nesting season.
The nesting ritual of the loggerhead sea turtle is one of the most remarkable natural phenomena occurring on Sanibel's Gulf beaches. This natural process has happened on Sanibel for centuries and our eleven miles of Gulf shoreline have more nesting activity than any other beach in Lee County. The rare opportunity to witness this ritual on a dark summer night is both an honor and a great responsibility. Sought by predators and susceptible to dehydration, sea turtle hatchlings have only a one in one thousand chance of survival. Human activities can further reduce that chance.
By following these simple guidelines, you can do your part to ensure the survival of these magnificent creatures:
- Turn off or shield lights near the beaches. Artificial beach lighting can inhibit female sea turtles from nesting and disorient hatchlings. Most beachfront lighting issues can be addressed by turning off all unnecessary lights, repositioning or modifying light fixtures, or closing blinds and drapes.
- Remove furniture and other items from the beach and dune area, when not in use, between the hours of 9:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. Items left on the beach including beach furniture, toys and trash may provide barriers to nesting or result in entanglement and predation of hatchlings.
- Level all sandcastles and fill any holes dug during play. These are fine during the day but may pose additional hazards at night. Please leave the beach as you found it, so that sea turtles and hatchlings are not hindered on their way to nest or to the water.
- Pick up all trash. Sea turtles mistakenly eat debris, especially plastic, which results in death.
- Honor the leash law. All dogs on the beach must be on a leash and not allowed to disturb nesting turtles or hatchlings.
We look forward to another successful sea turtle nesting season and hope to uphold Sanibel's reputation as having one of the darkest and most "turtle friendly" beaches in the state. We ask for your continued compliance with City's marine turtle protection ordinances and remind all residents and visitors that violations of these ordinances may be subject to City, State, and/or Federal fines and penalties. Violations should be reported immediately to the Sanibel Police Department at (239) 472-3111, Sanibel Code Enforcement (239) 472-4136 or Natural Resources at (239) 472-3700.
For more information regarding sea turtles on Sanibel, please visit the
City's website:
One of the first loggerhead sea turtles ever to be satellite-tagged after nesting on Sanibel is aptly named Junonia. She was tracked over a two year period and traveled over 2,000 miles mainly between Sanibel and the Keys. Although the last ping was in June 2022, you can follow her journey by clicking
here.
