Effects on beach renourishment on the survival of loggerhead sea turtles

The fate of loggerhead (Caretta caretta, L.) clutches at four physically different beaches, including a renourished site, was investigated in the Boca Raton area. I compared the four sites with regard to their thermal environment, moisture content, sand grain size, and pore spacing at depths of a typical nest. Significantly more sea turtle hatchlings emerged from nests deposited on the renourished beach than at the other sites. At the renourished beach moisture content and pore spacing were highest. Pore spacing and moisture content correlated negatively with the number of hatchlings which died in the nest, and correlated positively with emergence success. At the natural beach, hatchling weight was lowest and straight-line carapace length (SLC) was shortest. I conclude that at the renourished beach, conditions favored hatchling production. However, that may not be the case in all instances of renourishment, as effects probably vary with the nature of the sands used to replenish the beach.