{"id":10125,"date":"2024-05-21T10:03:54","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T14:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mote.org\/?post_type=program&#038;p=10125"},"modified":"2024-06-17T16:17:33","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T20:17:33","slug":"sea-turtle-protection-zone-stpz","status":"publish","type":"program","link":"https:\/\/mote.org\/research\/program\/stranding-investigations\/sea-turtle-protection-zone-stpz\/","title":{"rendered":"Sea Turtle Protection Zone (STPZ)"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Boaters: Protect Sea Turtles<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11550 alignright lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Sea_Turtle_Protection_Zone_logo-300x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"201\" height=\"201\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Sea_Turtle_Protection_Zone_logo-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Sea_Turtle_Protection_Zone_logo-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Sea_Turtle_Protection_Zone_logo.png 682w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 201px) 100vw, 201px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 201px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 201\/201;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Sea turtles are threatened and endangered species found year-round in southwest Florida waters. These amazing animals breed just offshore, and fema<span style=\"font-size: 1.6rem; letter-spacing: 0.32px;\">les crawl ashore to nest during our busy summer boating season in Sarasota County. These turtles are at risk of being accidentally <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 1.6rem; letter-spacing: 0.32px;\">struck, injured and even killed by boats.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The good news is, boaters can protect sea turtles by slowing down and using vigilance in key locations. Check out the voluntary Sea Turtle Protection Zone in Sarasota County below!<\/p>\n<h3>Sea Turtle Protection Zone<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10349 alignright lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2023_SeaTurtleProtectionZone_Maps_ffw_updated20230913-300x194.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"323\" height=\"209\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2023_SeaTurtleProtectionZone_Maps_ffw_updated20230913-300x194.png 300w, https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2023_SeaTurtleProtectionZone_Maps_ffw_updated20230913-768x497.png 768w, https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2023_SeaTurtleProtectionZone_Maps_ffw_updated20230913-1024x663.png 1024w, https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2023_SeaTurtleProtectionZone_Maps_ffw_updated20230913-1536x994.png 1536w, https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2023_SeaTurtleProtectionZone_Maps_ffw_updated20230913-2048x1325.png 2048w, https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2023_SeaTurtleProtectionZone_Maps_ffw_updated20230913-1920x1242.png 1920w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 323px) 100vw, 323px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 323px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 323\/209;\" \/>This voluntary Sea Turtle Protection Zone was mapped by Mote Marine Laboratory scientists who documented boat-strike hotspots in local waters.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Boaters, here&#8217;s how you can help turtles:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Go slow:<\/strong>\u00a0Go as slow as safely possible in areas bounded by red lines\u2014the voluntary Sea Turtle Protection Zone. Follow any posted speed-zone signs\u2014it\u2019s required by law.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wear polarized sunglasses<\/strong> to see and avoid sea turtles in your path, and ask one of your passengers to be the\u00a0<strong>designated wildlife spotter.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Report stranded sea turtles <\/strong>(as well as stranded marine mammals) in Sarasota &amp; Manatee counties to Mote at 888-345-2335. Elsewhere in Florida, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: 888-404-3922.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a class=\"btn btn-secondary\" href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1VJ0_duK7BsuHue5_SPNvE44c30BQ3be9\/view?usp=sharing\">VIDEO: ABOUT THE zone<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/2023_Sea-turtle-protection-zone-map_with_text_ffw_copy.pdf\">Download a printable copy of the map with all guidelines included<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>The Science behind The Zone<\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11549 alignleft lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Sea_turtle_boat-strike_hotspots-300x231.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"368\" height=\"284\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Sea_turtle_boat-strike_hotspots-300x231.png 300w, https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Sea_turtle_boat-strike_hotspots-1024x790.png 1024w, https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Sea_turtle_boat-strike_hotspots-768x592.png 768w, https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Sea_turtle_boat-strike_hotspots-1536x1185.png 1536w, https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Sea_turtle_boat-strike_hotspots.png 1600w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 368px) 100vw, 368px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 368px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 368\/284;\" \/>Mote Marine Laboratory scientists analyzed more than a decade of data showing where boat-struck sea turtles were found stranded in local waters. The most severe stranding hotspots are the focus of the Sea Turtle Protection Zone. By going slow and following other guidelines in the Zone, you&#8217;re doing something amazing: turning science into protection for marine animals!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7278,"parent":3257,"menu_order":0,"template":"","areas-of-research":[],"research-program-type":[],"class_list":["post-10125","program","type-program","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Sea Turtle Protection Zone (STPZ) | Mote Marine Laboratory &amp; Aquarium<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mote.org\/research\/program\/stranding-investigations\/sea-turtle-protection-zone-stpz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sea Turtle Protection Zone (STPZ) | Mote Marine Laboratory &amp; Aquarium\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Boaters: Protect Sea Turtles Sea turtles are threatened and endangered species found year-round in southwest Florida waters. 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