In southwest Florida, sea turtle nesting season is from May 1\u2013October 31, but turtles can begin nesting (laying eggs) on local beaches as early as mid-April. Sea turtles also need year-round protection from boat strikes and other threats at sea.<\/p>\n
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- Get turtle-protection tips<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
ON THE BEACH<\/a> WHILE BOATING<\/a><\/h3>\n
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- Report stranded sea turtles and marine mammals<\/strong> in Sarasota and Manatee counties to Mote at 888-345-2335. Outside this area\u00a0please call the FWC Wildlife Alert hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922).<\/li>\n
- Read our FAQ for more turtle tips<\/a><\/li>\n
- Learn how to support sea turtles!<\/a> <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Lighting Resources<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
Sea turtle disorientations occur when artificial lighting from homes, street lights or other human sources cause a nesting female or newly emerged hatchlings to incorrectly orient themselves and travel inland\/away from the water. Disoriented turtles are less likely to reach the ocean, which puts them at risk of predation or exhaustion. Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program is studying how light affects the nesting females and hatchlings in our region.<\/p>\nWe encourage the public to reduce the effect of artificial lighting during nesting season.<\/p>\n
SEA TURTLE LIGHTING GUIDELINES (FWC)<\/a><\/p>\n
\n \n More Lighting Resources\n <\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n\n\nOther lighting resources: Dark Sky International<\/a> educates the public about reducing the harmful effects of light pollution. Sea Turtle Conservancy<\/a> works on reducing artificial light visible from the beach to protect sea turtles.<\/p>\n
Mote works closely with local cities, counties and towns (municipalities) to help identify areas where disorientations are occurring, but as a non-government organization, Mote does not enforce marine turtle protection ordinances. These ordinances are executed by and vary by municipality. For specific questions about the local code impacting you, talk to your municipality.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
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Support Turtles<\/h2>\n
Loggerhead sea turtle released offshore. Credit: Cameron McPhail\/Mote Marine Laboratory<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Mote scientists are seeking donations of supplies and funding for our next busy season of Sea Turtle Patrol and our ongoing research and conservation.<\/p>\n
Run for the Turtles<\/h3>\n
Annually, Mote’s Run for the Turtles invites the public to “run, walk or crawl” in our 5K race and 1-mile fun run\/walk that help us raise funds for endangered and threatened sea turtles. Whether you join virtually or in-person you’re turtle-y awesome!<\/p>\n
The Run is usually held in April at Siesta Beach, Florida. Check for updates:<\/p>\n
mote.org\/run<\/a><\/p>\n
Donate or Adopt<\/h3>\n
To make a donation, visit mote.org\/donate<\/a>, click “Donations” and choose to donate to Mote’s operating fund. During the checkout, enter \u201cSea Turtle Conservation and Research\u201d in the box marked \u201cdonor notes.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nFor a fun way to give, you can adopt a nest! Your adoption helps Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program monitor sea turtle activity to learn about their biology and behavior with the goal to reduce human impacts on these endangered and threatened species.<\/p>\n
Adopt a Nest<\/a><\/p>\n
When we satellite tag a turtle to track her migrations, you can help us name her! These donations help maintain the tag over the course of the year for satellite time. Learn more here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/a>
\nFrequently Asked Questions (FAQ)<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
\n \n What should I do if I see a sea turtle nesting at night?<\/strong>\n - Read our FAQ for more turtle tips<\/a><\/li>\n
- Report stranded sea turtles and marine mammals<\/strong> in Sarasota and Manatee counties to Mote at 888-345-2335. Outside this area\u00a0please call the FWC Wildlife Alert hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922).<\/li>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/lighting-resources-300x200.jpeg\")
Sea turtle disorientations occur when artificial lighting from homes, street lights or other human sources cause a nesting female or newly emerged hatchlings to incorrectly orient themselves and travel inland\/away from the water. Disoriented turtles are less likely to reach the ocean, which puts them at risk of predation or exhaustion. Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program is studying how light affects the nesting females and hatchlings in our region.<\/p>\n![\"Loggerhead](\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sea-turtle-hatchling-released_by_Cameron_McPhail_Mote_Marine_Laboratory.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mote.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/2022-5-28_Sea-turtle-nests-on-Siesta-Key-Turtle_Beach6J7A8995_-1.jpeg\")
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