ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Fifty-five loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings were found dead on Gulf Drive on Wednesday night, Aug. 12.
The following day, the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring organization posted the following message on its Facebook page: “We are sad to report that 55 deceased loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings were found on Gulf Drive on Anna Maria Island last night. These baby turtles were only hours old and instead of following the light of the night sky reflecting on the water, they crawled towards artificial light shining from homes and businesses, straight into the road. We need your help to make sure the hatchlings from the rest of the nests on the beach make it safely to the water.”
When speaking to the Sun, Turtle Watch Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella said 2026 has been a particularly bad year in terms of turtle hatchling disorientations.
Mazzarella said in 2025 there was a 31% nest disorientation rate on the Island. This year, to date, there has been a 36% nest disorientation rate.
Mazzarella said of the 148 nests that have hatched so far this year, 54 were disoriented. She said of the 8,722 hatchlings that have emerged so far this year on Anna Maria Island, an estimated 1,534 to 3,550 hatchlings became disoriented.
“There are also adult disorientations which refer to when adults go the wrong way due to lights when they are leaving the beach after nesting,” she said. “I don’t think people realize that shielding the light is as important as the light color. Even with an amber light, if it lights up the wall, it’s creating what looks like the night sky. There needs to be a shield and a dark background.”
Turtle Watch volunteers are taking a proactive approach toward educating those along the beach, including making reports to the city code enforcement officers about beach lighting.
“We’re doing everything we can to educate the public about lighting on the beach and disorientations,” Mazzarella said.
Property owners are urged to check for any lights that can be seen from the beach and make sure they are using turtle-friendly lighting. Rental property and resort owners are asked to educate their renters and patrons to keep blinds closed at night and to turn off any unnecessary lights.
Call 941-301-8434 or email info@islandturtlewatch.com to learn how you can make your home, vacation rental or property more turtle-friendly. Use the same contact information to request free educational materials to share with vacation rental guests. The phone number also serves as the 24-hour hotline to call if you find wayward hatchlings or adult sea turtles, dead or alive.
Regarding the interactions between humans and nature, Mazzarella said, “I’m reminded of a quote from Charlie Hunsicker, Manatee County Natural Resources Director, who said, ‘As we struggle with the business of life and with accommodating both our residents and tourists, we’ve got to remember there is wildlife that depends on us.'”
TURTLE NESTING NEWS
As of Friday, Aug. 14:
- Total loggerhead turtle nests: 457
- New nests last week (8/8 to 8/14): 1
- False crawls last week: 1
- Total false crawls: 569
- Total nests hatched: 148
- Total hatchlings produced: 8,722
- Total adult turtle disorientations: 20
- Nests inventoried: 137
- Disoriented hatchlings: 1,534–3,550
- Disoriented hatchlings found dead: 143
Source: Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch
