Turtles of Tampa Bay

Written by Nate Perez

A green sea turtle photographed from the St. Pete Pier, February 2021. Photo credit: Nate Perez

Turtles play an essential role in marine ecosystems. They are often referred to as “patrollers of the sea.” Across the world, there are seven species of sea turtles. Florida is home to five of the seven which include: green, loggerheads, leatherbacks, Kemp’s Ridleys, and the hawksbill.

The three species of sea turtles that can be found in the Tampa Bay area are green sea turtles, loggerheads, and occasionally Kemp’s Ridleys, which are rarer than the other two. The Gulf beaches are a popular nesting site for loggerheads thus they are more common along the Gulf Coast rather than Tampa Bay itself. The ones you will find most often in Tampa Bay are green sea turtles.

Green sea turtles are mostly vegetarians compared to loggerheads and Kemp’s Ridleys — due to their herbivorous diet, they can often be found near seagrass beds, which Tampa Bay is full of. If you’re lucky, you might even see a green sea turtle right off the St. Pete Pier near the Discovery Center! 

All sea turtle species are listed as either threatened or endangered. Their main threats include habitat loss, bycatch, climate change and pollution. You can help sea turtles by reducing your boat speed if you are boating in marine environments and keeping litter and plastics out of the water. It is also important that any holes dug or sand castles built during a beach visit are demolished. (Make sure to take pictures of the sand castle so you always have it as a memento of your hard work and creativity!) Sea turtles come to lay their eggs in the sand and many sea turtles will return to the same spot to nest. If they find their site is disturbed, they will stop nesting there and may even deposit their eggs into the water where they will not hatch.

If you ever see a sick, injured or dead sea turtle, please call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) at 1-888-404-3922 or the Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s Rescue team at 727-441-1790 ext 1.