Sea Turtle Nesting Season

The season opens May 1. Sea turtles are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Turtle Protection Act.  The law states that “no person may take, possess, disturb, mutilate, destroy, cause to be destroyed, sell, offer for sale, transfer, molest or harass any marine sea turtle or its nests or eggs at any times.”  If you see a sea turtle in the ocean or on the beach, stay away from it.  Turtle hatchlings should not be picked up and placed in the ocean, as they need to crawl on their own to set their navigational compass and increase their chance of survival.  Do not harm, harass, pick up, ride, straddle, restrain, jump over, injure, kill or otherwise disturb sea turtles.  Feeding or touching turtles in any way, including shining a light on them, is considered a disturbance.  Federal penalties for disturbing sea turtles include jail time and fines up to $15,000 for each offense, with the maximum federal fine for harming a threatened species being $25,000.
 
Beachgoers, stay away from sand dunes, keep dogs on leashes at all times, put all trash and recyclables in solid waste containers, fill in beach holes and smash sand castles before leaving each day.  Fireworks, lights, flash photography, and noise will disturb sea turtles!  Disturbances can result in “false crawl,” meaning the mother returned to the ocean without leaving hatchlings on the beach.  If you spot nesting activity or a sick, injured, dead or disturbed turtle or nest, call South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources at 1-800-922-5431.  If you see someone disturbing or harming a sea turtle or nest, call the Police Department for immediate assistance.