- Abstract:
The State of Florida, through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Florida Marine Research Institute, coordinates the Statewide Nesting Beach Survey program (SNBS). The SNBS was initiated in 1979 under a cooperative agreement between FWC (then DNR) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Its purpose is to document the total distribution, seasonality, and abundance of nesting by sea turtles in Florida. Three species of sea turtles, the loggerhead (Caretta caretta), the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), and the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), nest regularly on Florida's beaches. All the species are listed as either Threatened or Endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Survey data are derived from observations of tracks and other nesting signs left on the beach by sea turtles. Species identifications and determinations of nesting or non-nesting emergences are based on the evaluation of features of the track and the nest. Data are gathered through a network of permit holders consisting of private conservation groups, volunteers, consultants, academics, local governments, federal agencies, and the Florida Park Service. Results are used by managers to evaluate and minimize impacts to turtles and their nests due to human activities such as coastal construction, beach renourishment, and recreation, as well as to identify important areas for enhanced protection or land acquisition.
- Purpose:
The purpose is to monitor marine turtle nesting activity to determine statewide distribution and relative abundance of nesting by three species of marine turtles. The State of Florida, through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Florida Marine Research Institute, coordinates the Statewide Nesting Beach Survey program (SNBS). The SNBS was initiated in 1979 under a cooperative agreement between FWC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Its purpose is to document the total distribution, seasonality, and abundance of nesting by sea turtles in Florida. Three species of sea turtles, the loggerhead (Caretta caretta), the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), and the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), nest regularly on Florida's beaches. All the species are listed as either Threatened or Endangered under the Endangered Species Act.Survey data are derived from observations of tracks and other nesting signs left on the beach by sea turtles. Species identifications and determinations of nesting or non-nesting emergences are based on the evaluation of features of the track and the nest. Data are gathered through a network of permit holders consisting of private conservation groups, volunteers, consultants, academics, local governments, federal agencies, and the Florida Park Service. Results are used by managers to evaluate and minimize impacts to turtles and their nests due to human activities such as coastal construction, beach renourishment, and recreation, as well as to identify important areas for enhanced protection or land acquisition.
- Supplemental_Information:
Prior to July 1, 2004, the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) was known as the Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI). The institute name has not been changed in historical data sets or references to work completed by the Florida Marine Research Institute. The institute name has been changed in references to ongoing research, new research, and contact information.--There are limitations to the use of the SNBS database imposed by the data collection methodology employed. Changes in survey boundaries for individual beaches and variability in survey frequency (days per week) and period (beginning and ending dates) occur in the SNBS program, making it inappropriate for assessing population trends. Population monitoring is the goal of a complementary DEP program, the Index Nesting Beach Survey Program. Not all beaches in Florida that are used for nesting by sea turtles are monitored, and thus nest totals represent a minimum estimate. Evaluation of changes in the number of nests over time in any area must take into account changes in survey effort. Survey effort is defined herein as the number of kilometers of beach that are monitored for nesting activity. It an imperfect measure, however, because it does not factor in survey frequency and period on individual beaches, which are also components of effort. Survey efforts are targeted principally at the loggerhead turtle. Green turtles and leatherbacks have overlapping but different nesting seasons and thus they are not fully represented in the data. The total number of nests for each of these species are underestimated, and the first and last nest date of the year do not always accurately reflect their respective nesting seasons. Determination of nesting success, i.e., whether an emergence has resulted in eggs being deposited, or in a "false crawl", can be difficult, especially in areas where nest densities are high or in situations where weather has erased the marks left in the sand by the turtle. To protect the integrity of the nests, assessment of nesting success is made visually and is not confirmed by digging. Thus, there is opportunity for error in this determination.