A struggle at every stage 



(Continued from p. 1) 



ridley limited protection. In North Carolina it is 

 "unlawful to willfully take, disturb or destroy any 

 sea turtle including, but not limited to, the green, 

 hawksbill, loggerhead, leatherback, or their nests or 

 eggs." Violation of that statute can result in a fine of 

 up to $50. 



It is no coincidence that the decline in sea turtle 

 populations accompanies a period of rapid develop- 

 ment along our coasts. While there are numerous ex- 

 planations, most revolve around the activities of 

 man. 



The loggerhead is an elusive creature. Though 

 protected by a tough, armor-like carapace, the sea 

 turtle is an awkward and cumbersome animal on 

 land. It seeks stretches of deserted beach on which to 

 make its nests. There is no such thing as second best 

 for the loggerhead. Conditions must be just right if 

 nesting is to be successful. 



The ritual of the loggerhead in search of a nesting 

 site is a mysterious yet fascinating sight. In the cover 

 of darkness, the female turtle suddently appears in 

 the surf. She slowly moves shoreward to a point just 

 beyond the water. Here the turtle lowers her head 

 and probes the sand with her nose. From this test she 

 is able to determine whether the sand has the proper 

 consistency and capillary moisture necessary for 

 nesting and incubation. 



If at any point in this process the turtle is distur- 

 bed by light or an unusual sound or activity, she im- 

 mediately rejects the site and retreats back to sea. If 

 the site is to her liking, the turtle awkwardly crawls 

 to a spot above the high tide level and digs a nest for 

 her eggs. An average of 106 eggs are laid. Once the 

 eggs have been deposited, the nest is covered with 

 sand and the turtle returns to the sea, leaving her 

 eggs to incubate a full two months before hatching. 



At every stage of life, the loggerhead faces death. 



On the beach, the eggs are subject to predation by 

 such scavangers as the raccoon, ghost crab and sea 

 gull. On the average, only 65 percent of the eggs sur- 

 vive the incubation period. Once the eggs have 

 hatched, the young turtles must then face still 

 another maze of hurdles as they struggle to return to 

 sea. As temperatures drop with the arrival of night, 

 the tiny reptiles emerge in mass from the nest for a 

 mad scramble to the water. Unlike adult loggerheads 

 which shy away from light, hatchling turtles orient 

 themselves to the light reflected by the ocean. Easily 

 confused, however, the young turtles will un- 

 knowingly crawl toward the bright lights of a nearby 

 house or highway. Thus many die in a futile effort to 

 reach the sea. 



Adult turtles are frequently caught in shrimp 

 trawls as they make their way shoreward during the 

 nesting season. Because it is illegal in North Carolina 

 for a fisherman to be caught with these turtles, most 

 fishermen throw the hefty 100 to 200-pound reptiles 

 overboard before they dock. 



Birkhead and turtle carcass 



According to fisherman Lonni Burriss of Carolina 

 Beach, "Most of the turtles are alive when we get 

 'em." But he notes that it is not uncommon to catch 

 the same turtle over and over again. Exhausted by 

 each encounter, the turtle will literally drown in the 

 nets if the trawls are under water for more than 

 several hours. 



Frank Schwartz has studied the loggerhead for 

 many years. Through his work at the University of 

 North Carolina's Institute of Marine Science in 

 Morehead City, he has learned much about the life 

 history of sea turtles and their vulnerability to such 

 environmental factors as temperture and light. Ac- 

 cording to Schwartz, man is the prime culprit in the 

 decline of the loggerhead. 



Like Schwartz, Bill Birkhead believes that many of 

 the loggerhead's problems are people-related. 

 Birkhead is a research biologist at North Carolina 

 State University's Cape Fear Estuarine Lab in 

 Southport. He first became involved with sea turtles 

 last summer as a pastime. Local police who knew of 

 his interest in turtles began calling him whenever 

 they received reports of dead turtles washing ashore. 

 In a few weeks Birkhead had become the area's resi- 

 dent turtle authority. By August, he had collected a 

 total of eight loggerhead carcasses along a three-mile 

 stretch of Long Beach. According to Birkhead, all of 

 the dead turtles were female and all but one were 

 found in a bloated state without any visible sign of in- 

 jury. Several other loggerheads were found on the in- 

 take screens of the Carolina Power and Light nuclear 

 power plant in Southport, but were later freed and 

 safely returned to open water. 

 (See "Habitat protection, " p. ]+) 



