The Gulf Coast is Clear for Baby Turtles

Things are looking up for baby sea turtles in the Gulf area. In perhaps one of the first positive signs for area wildlife since the oil disaster, wildlife officials have declared the gulf safe for the young turtles, since the hatchlings spend their early years on the surface of the water.

And there’s more good news. The thousands of turtle eggs painstakingly transported over the summer to the safer sands and water of Cape Canaveral, Florida are reportedly doing better than expected: More than 13,000 of the 25,000 relocated turtles have successfully hatched so far.

In an unprecedented effort, which I wrote about in July, hundreds of nests were dug up from Alabama and Florida beaches — by human hands, very gingerly, since any sudden movement could kill the embryos — and transported to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Once hatched, the turtles were set free in the oil-free Atlantic Ocean. The hope is that since the eggs were packed in sand from their native beaches, in 30 years or so the mature turtles will return to those same Gulf beaches and perpetuate the circle of life.

The original plan was to relocate 700 nests containing as many as 70,000 eggs, but fewer than half that number were actually moved. Since the transportation effort was so risky to the turtles, state and federal wildlife officials put the brakes on it as soon as the Gulf was deemed safe. The officials said the 370 turtle nests that remain on Florida and Alabama beaches can safely stay put.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Robbin Trindell, biological administrator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said the sargassum she inspected (that's the thick seaweed in which the baby turtles make their homes), "was beautiful. There were all sorts of invertebrates, fish, crabs, shrimps, no sign of oil and the plants were healthy."

At the Kennedy Space Center, dozens of the eggs are still incubating. "Midwife" Jane Provancha, a contract biologist who oversaw the rescue effort there, told the St. Petersburg Times, "It's not exactly cutting-edge science. It's mostly just a dramatic conservation action. It's probably the best action under the worst circumstances."

Trindell called the relocation "very successful," noting the hatching success was 94 percent for one nest. "And the hatchlings are vigorous, swimming off into the Atlantic," she said.

Hooray for the heroes who saved the turtle eggs, and bon voyage to the healthy babies venturing out into the ocean. They've managed to survive this oil disaster, and I only hope they can avoid fishermen’s nets, poachers, light pollution, plastic bags and all the other dangers awaiting them at sea.

I guess we’ll find out in about 30 years.

Photo credit: qnr