Sea turtle nesting season threatened by coyote predation on Florida beaches

SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. (WINK)—Coyotes are raiding sea turtle nests along the Gulf Coast, turning a natural cycle into a growing challenge for conservationists.

Linda Linsmayer, a Sanibel Island neighbor, witnessed the problem firsthand. A mama sea turtle hauled herself ashore, dug deep, laid her eggs and disappeared back into the Gulf.

The magical moment didn't last long.

"I saw a coyote. And the coyote very boldly trotted out, went down to the gulf to whet its appetite, looked like it got a drink, took a little dip, and then headed straight for the warm, freshly laid eggs that the sea turtle had just deposited along our shores," Linsmayer said.

Linsmayer chased the coyote away from the nest. When a coyote wins, sand is ripped apart and shells are scattered.

"It literally is like seeing a horror film, because you know that the potential for that many beautiful creatures has been predated," Linsmayer said.

In February, Sanibel's working coyote group proposed targeted lethal removal for coyotes going after sea turtle nests. That idea was tabled, so organizations like the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation have to get creative.

The screens used to guard sea turtle nests used to be 2 by 2 feet. Now they're 4 by 5 feet, all to put some distance between the nests and the coyotes.

Kelly Sloan with SCCF says about 40% of last year's nests were depredated, above the 10% level considered sustainable.

"We're exhausting every FWC-approved method. We're trying new things that haven't been tried before to try and reduce that depredation rate," Sloan said. "You can see these are almost as tall as me in the hopes that maybe this will provide a little bit of additional deterrent for them to get through."

It's not just metal hardware. Conservationists are also planting decoy nests.

"And we're hoping that kind of inundating them with fake nests might confuse them and reduce depredation rates a little bit, too," Sloan said.

The efforts aren't enough for Linsmayer.

"Every day we delay taking action, more and more nests are being predated," Linsmayer said. "I believe we can do a better job managing and protecting this species that we've been entrusted to care for along our shores."

SCCF will continue to monitor and protect sea turtle nests for the rest of the season. Sanibel's working coyote group plans to meet with the Sanibel City Council again this summer to reevaluate coyote mitigation options.