EFFECTS OF EXPOSED PILINGS ON SEA-TURTLE NESTING ACTIVITY AT MELBOURNE BEACH, FLORIDA

Beach stabilization and nourishment are critical needs in Florida and along much of the U.S. coast. Because offshore sand resources are dimi nishing, there is much interest in the installation of beach structure s for stabilization and nourishment projects. The STABLER(TM) Disc Sys tem (Shoreline Reclamation Inc., Manasquan, NJ) is an example of one s uch structure in which a series of cement discs is anchored into the b each by pilings. When functioning properly, the discs are buried by th e accretion of sand, and only the pilings are exposed. Before any stru cture can be installed into Florida beaches, however, its impact on se a turtle nesting should be assessed. This study investigated the effec ts of exposed pilings on sea turtle nesting activity. Artificial pilin gs constructed from PVC pipe were installed on Melbourne Beach, Florid a, and nesting activity was monitored in areas with and without piling s. Nesting activity decreased significantly in the presence of pilings . However, the installation of structures remains an option on sea tur tle nesting beaches because some nesting continued to occur. Further r esearch is needed on the effect of exposed pilings on hatchling orient ation.