Studies Show Area Sees Hike in Sea Turtle Deaths

Last year’s fi nal report from the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network showed that area sea turtle strandings had sharply increased from 2006.

Zone nine, which incorporates both Okaloosa and Walton counties, had 29 reported deaths in 2007, a 59 percent increase from the previous year.

"This is the highest we’ve seen and also the lowest numbers in nesting," said South Walton Turtle Watch head Sharon Maxwell. "When you have more dead than live, it’s pretty sad."

Although stranding numbers for the Gulf of Mexico and Florida have decreased as a whole from 2006, zones nine and 10 along the Emerald Coast were both up.

"I would think that it has to do with more people using the water (with motorboats)," said Maxwell. "During the nesting season, females will sleep on top of the water and will often get hit because they don’t have time to move."

According to Dr. Allen Foley of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Marine Research Institute, another key contributor to the rise in turtle strandings could be the persistent red tide outbreak that plagued the upper Gulf Coast for much of the fall.

"It’s a little frustrating," said Foley. "We have such a large coastline in Florida that it seems that every year we have something go wrong. This year it was the red tide."

Foley also said that because the majority of the turtles that are found on shore are decayed, it’s often hard to find out how they died.

"You really just have to piece together the major players of blame," said Foley. "Many times though, the big players (like red tide) might be to blame, but something much smaller might be involved."