Sea Turtle Conservation

 

A loggerhead turtle retuns to the beach after nesting just before sunrise.

Florida boasts some of the most important nesting beaches for loggerhead sea turtles in the world, and also offers important nesting habitat for green and leatherback sea turtles, as well as the occassional Kemp's ridley and hawksbill turtle nests.  Florida's waters provide important development habitat for many species of sea turtles in a variety of life stages.
 

All species of sea turtles in the world are either threatened or endangered species. Sea turtles face many threats in the world today that were not an issue hundreds of years ago. Some of these threats include:
 

  • Collisions with boats
  • Direct and Indirect glow from artificial lighting
  • Interactions from commercial fisheries
  • Loss of nesting habitat
  • Pollution


Visit Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, or continue to explore our website, to learn more about these threats and what you can do to help.

The Boca Raton Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program works under permit from, and in coordination with, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).


If you find a dead, sick, or injured sea turtle, please call FWC's 24-hour Wildlife Alert Number
at 1-888-404-FWCC (1-888-404-3922).

Please be prepared to answer the following questions:

  1. What is the exact location of the animal?
  2. Is the turtle alive or dead?
  3. What is the approximate size of the turtle?
  4. Is the turtle marked with spray paint? (This may indicate that the turtle has been previously documented.)
  5. What is the location of the closest access point to the turtle?