Seaweed Blob Sargassum Potential Problem for Nesting Sea Turtles in Florida

Sea turtles are currently nesting in Florida, and wildlife officials are worried that the sargassum or seaweed blob could pose a problem.

Sea Turtle Nesting Season

After a successful 2022 that avoided Hurricane Ian, the turtle nesting season for 2023 begins with a new challenge along Florida's coastlines: sargassum.

Beginning on Monday and lasting through October 31 is Florida's turtle nesting season for this year. According to Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium via USA Today, the nesting season was nearly over when Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida on September 28 of last year.

Only a few damaged nests were discovered by aquarium officials; none of the nests used for research were harmed. Also during the final week of August, officials found no indication of newly vulnerable nests.

This year, dense seaweed mats that could make it difficult for female sea turtles to get around have conservationists worried.

This issue was also pointed out by the Sargasso Sea Commission in their published natural history notes. Although sargassum has multiple benefits such as serving as a habitat for neonatal and juvenile sea turtles while at sea, stabilizing against erosion as it reaches the shores, and transporting marine nutrients to terrestrial ecosystems, its positioning on the shores could still act as a barrier for newly hatched turtles, according to the Sargasso Sea Commission.

2022's Successful Nesting Season

In Florida's waters, five different species of sea turtles can be found swimming and nesting. It is forbidden to hurt, harass, or kill turtles, their eggs, or hatchlings because they are all either endangered or threatened.

The green, leatherback, hawksbill, and Kemp's Ridley turtles are all listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. The most prevalent sea turtle in Florida, the loggerhead, is classified as threatened.

Each year, Florida has tens of thousands of turtle nests, leading the nation as sea turtles build about 40,000 to 84,000 nests along the coast.

A successful nesting season for loggerhead turtles continued in 2022, with 116,765 nests, or about 20,000 more than the previous year. Much of the success has been attributed to decades of conservation efforts, including harvest bans, safer fishing nets, and habitat protection.

Sargassum

This summer, it is expected that Florida beaches will be covered in significant amounts of sargassum, or seaweed.

A general term for more than 300 species of brown algae, is sargassum. When the algae are at sea, it helps because it gives fish, mammals, seabirds, crabs, and other creatures food and protection. Within the initial few years of their lives, sea turtles find refuge and food on this floating mat of seaweed in the ocean, USA Today reports.

However, when on the beach, heaps of seaweed might make it difficult for female sea turtles to find a place to nest. Large amounts of sargassum on the shore could also present a challenge for hatchlings as they make their way to the water

Furthermore, the seaweed forms obstructive, foul-smelling mounds when it reaches the beaches. Sargassum mounds can be dangerous to people and harm marine life, in addition to annoying beachgoers. A surplus of seaweed depletes the water's oxygen supply, resulting in dead zones. CNN News reports that the toxic gas released by the rotting algae can lead to respiratory issues.