A lot of sea turtle action takes place at night. The majority of sea turtle species nest in the cover of darkness and this is also typically when hatchlings make their mad dash to the ocean. You would figure the sea turtles would appreciate a little more light but that is not the case.

For millions and millions of years, sea turtles have evolved with only the moon to light their nocturnal activities. New human caused additions don’t make it easier but rather make things very difficult for sea turtles. Evolved to use the light of the moon for navigating the beach, modern artificial lights can confuse both adult and hatchling sea turtles, sometimes with disastrous effects. For adult turtles, excess lights can cause turtles to crawl in odd directions, often in the opposite direction of the water. Sometimes nesting female turtles will crawl parallel to the water for hundreds of feet, which can be exhausting for these three hundred pound moms, using valuable energy that can be devoted to making another clutch of eggs.

For hatchling sea turtles, lights on the beach cause a similar response to adults but for these tiny turtles heading in the wrong direction often proves fatal. On a natural beach when a sea turtle nest hatches, baby turtles will head for the lightest part of the horizon, this often is the ocean as it reflects the light of the moon. When there are artificial lights on the beach the turtle’s head towards the light source, rather than the water. This can disorientate them and exposes them to more predation, exhaustion, and dehydration. This often leads to baby turtles stuck in vegetation, on busy roads or even in swimming pools.

How can we fix this problem? The best solution is to turn off beachfront lights during sea turtle nesting season. This can help negate light pollution and make the beach appear more natural to sea turtles. Another option, where everyone wins, is replacing bright white lights with red or amber ones. Sea turtles can’t see the red wavelength of light very well, so using a red or amber bulb will not harm or confuse them. The use of red and turtle friendly lighting allow beachgoers to see at night and turtles to nest and hatch. Please check out this very informative video for the Sea Turtle Conservancy below!