Mechanical beach cleaning, sometimes called “beach raking”, is the process of using tractors, trucks or other motorized equipment pulling rakes or other objects intended to remove both human-generated debris and biotic material from the beach or otherwise groom the sand. During the summer, some coastal communities increase the frequency of their mechanical beach cleaning as more people are using the beaches. However, summer is also a critical time for wildlife using the beaches, and mechanical beach cleaning can present problems for them.

One impact of mechanical beach cleaning is a decrease in invertebrate populations found in natural beach wrack (seaweed and other vegetation that washes ashore). This means less available food for shorebirds. Mechanical cleaning equipment can also disrupt shorebird courtship and nest-site selection, destroy nest scrapes, crush well-camouflaged eggs or flightless young, and cause adults to flush from the nest – leaving eggs and chicks vulnerable to heat stress and predation. Although mechanical beach cleaning permits have provisions for sea turtle nests, hatchlings may be in danger, as they often take cover in beach wrack which is often raked away.

Action can be taken to minimize negative impacts to wildlife from mechanical beach cleaning. Some of these are required, such as surveys for sea turtle nests by Marine Turtle Permit Holders authorized by the FWC. Voluntary actions that can be taken include limiting mechanical cleaning during shorebird nesting season (February through August), using a beach-nesting bird monitor to inspect the beach prior to mechanical cleaning, installing symbolic fencing around nesting areas, leaving as much wrack as possible, and removing human-generated debris by hand. The CWCI’s publication, “Share the Beach: beach cleaning practices to minimize impacts to protected shorebirds” provides additional information on these and other actions. To request hard copies of this publication to distribute to local decision-makers, please contact the CWCI Coordinator, Fara Ilami at fara.ilami@myfwc.com.

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In early 2017, in a partnership among the FWC, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), and numerous other statewide agencies and organizations, the Florida Marine Debris Reduction Guidance Plan (FMDRGP or Plan) was completed.

Marine debris is a global issue and one of the most widespread problems facing the marine environment, wildlife and habitats today. In Florida, marine debris originates from land-based and other local sources, but some is washed in by ocean currents, gyres and severe storms from other parts of the Caribbean world, including Central America, South America and even Western and Equatorial Africa. Similarly, debris originating from Florida travels across the Atlantic to other parts of the world as well. Florida is nationally recognized for its coastal and marine resources, and these resources are increasingly harmed or degraded by marine debris.

There was a need to identify and prioritize marine debris issues to address both everyday marine debris and debris generated by severe weather. There is broad recognition that the amount of marine debris is increasing, and the sources and effects of marine debris on natural resources is beyond the capacity of any single government, private or public organization. The core purpose of the development of the FMDRGP was to provide people working on marine debris in the State with a common set of goals and strategies to work cooperatively to manage the problem at a statewide level as well as establish and/or strengthen international partnerships.

The FMDRGP is the result of a four year process supported both financially and with personnel from the NOAA Marine Debris Program. FDEP took the lead on the drafting of the Plan using the information generated from these annual meetings and provided by subject matter experts. FWC Divisions of Habitat and Species Conservation (HSC), Marine Fisheries Management (MFM), Law Enforcement (LE) and the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) have leadership roles in four of the five Working Groups, and 23 FWC staff have participated in workshops and the development of the Plan’s goals and objectives. The FMDRGP development had considerable participation by government and nongovernment organizations. Eighty-two people from 14 government organizations and 24 people from 14 nongovernment organizations participated in the Plan development. 

The Plan introduces 5 Goals (and associated Working Groups) which encompass key resource concerns of the FWC and/or sources of particular environmental risk. (Chapter 4):

•  Goal 1 – Reduce the amount of Consumer Debris

•  Goal 2 – Reduce the amount of Derelict Fishing Gear

•  Goal 3 – Reduce the amount of Abandoned and Derelict Vessels

•  Goal 4 – Increase the capacity to respond to Emergency Debris 

•  Goal 5 – Reduce the impact of marine debris on Wildlife and Habitats

Goal 1 – Reduce the amount of Consumer Debris reflects what is commonly considered to be the most important first step in all waste management endeavors – reduce the amount of material that can become debris. Consumer debris is not only an eyesore, fouling economically and environmentally important beaches and other marine areas frequented by people living in and visiting Florida, but is also a threat to many listed species in Florida that accidentally ingest the debris, mistaking it for common food sources found in the marine environment. Stakeholder engagement to address the strategies outlined in this Goal are essential to address the most common causes and sources of consumer debris.

Goal 2 – Reduce the amount of Derelict Fishing Gear identifies fishing gear that is generally abandoned, lost or discarded resulting in, where surveyed, a significant source of submerged debris in Florida. Derelict fishing gear not only creates an entanglement and/or ingestion hazard for wildlife, but also causes damage to benthic marine habitats, such as seagrass beds, coral reefs and mangroves that support healthy and sustainable fish and wildlife populations. Derelict gear can also pose a human safety risk, particularly to boaters and scuba divers. This Goal relies on better partnerships, education and research into better technology to reduce this type of debris.

Goal 3 – Reduce the amount of Abandoned and Derelict Vessels includes several objectives that emphasize use of partnerships and education to essentially promote the need for more effective ways to prevent vessel abandonment or promote and allow effective derelict vessel disposal. Abandoned and derelict vessels can result in both environmental and navigational hazards.  Florida has recently made considerable progress that allows more timely interventions to prevent vessels that are likely to become derelict from impacting the environment or public safety.

Goal 4 – Increase the capacity to respond to Emergency Debris addresses a gap in both the area of responsibility and the funding mechanism to respond to isolated events which pose an imminent threat to humans or wildlife from marine debris. Many of the strategies of this goal address the designation of authority to allow action outside of the normal role of an agency. For this Plan, emergency debris was divided into two categories to most effectively address this goal, resulting in the Marine Debris Rapid Response Program (MDRRP) and the Disaster Debris Program (DDP). As outlined in the FMDRGP, the MDRRP “responds to marine debris of unknown origins that poses an imminent threat to human health and safety and/or natural resources that is not covered under another existing marine debris program.” DDP “strives to coordinate a response to debris resulting from a catastrophic event.”

Goal 5 – Reduce the Impact of marine debris on Wildlife and Habitats reflects a core principle of the FWC. As such, this Goal is overarching in nature, given its significant interaction with Goals 1-4, and represents the successful outcome of the other four Goals. The focus of this Goal is to minimize the impacts of marine debris on wildlife and habitats by increasing the understanding of their interactions through better and more comprehensive data monitoring and assessment, developing protocols for removal of debris from sensitive habitats, strengthening response to wildlife entanglements and/or ingestion and expanding scientific research.  One such program that targets wildlife and habitat impacts is the Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program (MRRP) managed by the FWC (http://mrrp.myfwc.com/). See the Staff Spotlight Section for more information on Elizabeth (‘Lizzie’) Winchester, MRRP Statewide Coordinator.

These Goals are specific to Florida but are consistent with the broader, global marine debris prevention and management issues identified by the internationally recognized Honolulu Strategy. The FMDRGP is intended to serve as a tool for aiding in the development of future agency and organizational conservation work plans and provide guidance and prioritization of research, management, outreach and conservation efforts. Intentionally, the FMDRGP does not assign actions or prescriptive measures to any specific agency or organization. The FMDRGP is intended as a living document and to serve as a guide to identify the key issues around the State. Strategies associated with each goal emphasize organizational partnerships and education and, as a living document, implementation planning is the next step in the plan to continue moving the FMDRGP forward. Agency coordinators from the FWC, NOAA and FDEP are currently working together with the five Working Groups to coordinate and assist in the development of an implementation plan and timeline.

Currently, a copy of the FMDRGP can be found at https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/florida-caribbean and http://www.dep.state.fl.us/cmp/publications/FL_Marine_Debris_Reduction_Plan2017.pdf. A copy of the Plan will also be available soon on a new FWC Marine Debris page (in development) that will also provide opportunities for commenting and feedback, marine debris reduction resources, cleanup events and volunteer opportunities, links to related FWC Programs and much, much more! Please contact MarineDebris@MyFWC.com for more details or for marine debris related questions/comments.

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Fireworks are a staple of summer celebrations, but both the noise and the debris left behind by fireworks can be harmful to wildlife. Fireworks tend to cause animals to panic in their efforts to flee the noise, explosive lights and the associated crowds of people, potentially resulting in stress, injury and even death. A review of studies concerning the impacts of noise on wildlife found that wildlife behavior and individual fitness was affected, ultimately resulting in changes to ecological communities.

“Fireworks launched too close or toward a nesting colony can cause adult shorebirds to flush off their nests and chicks to scatter, leaving the chicks vulnerable to predators, the elements and the potential of getting accidentally stepped on by beach-goers,” said Nancy Douglass, who works on shorebird conservation for the FWC.

In addition to the noise factor, fireworks leave behind particulate matter that is a source of air pollution, and some firework litter may cause physical damage to wildlife. Shorebirds, sea turtles and other coastal wildlife may become entangled in or ingest debris. Errant fireworks can also cause wildfires, damaging wildlife and habitats. 

Even with these risks in mind, it is still possible to safely enjoy fireworks by following some simple guidelines:

• Leave personal fireworks, including sparklers, at home and attend an official fireworks display instead. Official displays must obtain permits which have conditions to minimize the impacts on wildlife.
• If you see firework residue remaining on the beach, pick it up and throw it away, preferably in a lidded trash can away from the beach.
• If you choose to use your own fireworks, do not ignite them near trees, dune vegetation, beach wrack, nesting areas, rookeries, brush piles or other sheltered areas where wildlife may be living. Remember that the only fireworks legal for personal use in Florida are sparklers, fountains, snakes and glow worms—nothing that explodes, flies or lifts off.
• Follow all the proper fireworks safety tips to keep friends and family members safe; many of these common sense safety tips can also protect pets and nearby wildlife from unnecessary trauma or injuries caused by fireworks.
• Spread the word about fireworks and report any activities that disturb or harm wildlife to the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922), #FWC or *FWC on a cell phone, or by texting Tip@MyFWC.com.

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1. What is your title? Education Specialist - Division of Marine Fisheries Management
2. What organization do you work for? Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
3. What type of work do you do? I run and coordinate a variety of outreach and education programs for the state. I am the Kids’ Fishing Clinic Coordinator, so I travel around to different cities in Florida putting on events to engage and teach youth ages 5-15 about ethical angling, habitat conservation, basic fishing techniques, as well as other marine resource information. I am also the state coordinator for the Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program (MRRP), which means I am in communication with local coordinators all over the state to make sure every location has the information and materials that they need to run a successful program. We also promote cleanup events to make sure everyone knows that they can play a part in keeping our oceans marine debris free! I am also the primary aquarist for the Division of Marine Fisheries taking care of our educational animals that we take to our outreach events.
4. What project(s) have you recently been working on? One of my most recent projects has been revamping our MRRP Facebook page – Facebook.com/FloridaMRRP – check it out.
5. How does your work relate to the CWCI? My work relates to CWCI because of the education and outreach that I do. One of CWCI’s goal is to protect coastal wildlife populations and to achieve a balance between conservation and recreational activities, such as fishing. I reach out to future anglers and teach them how to respect and conserve the coast and the species that inhabit that environment.
6. How long have you been working in the coastal environment, and what are some lessons you have learned? Although I’ve always been a beach goer, my first marine education internship was with an organization in the Keys in 2010, so I guess 7 years! I’ve learned how interconnected every part of the marine environment is and everything you do during your daily life has an impact on our oceans.
7. What do you think is the greatest threat to coastal ecosystems, and what action(s) should be undertaken to address it? I think one of the greatest threats to coastal ecosystems is single use plastics, such as plastic bottles, plastic bags, and balloons that can last hundreds of years. These items are some of the most commonly found items during beach cleanups and have the biggest effects on marine life. There are simple actions that people can take to keep these items off of our beaches: reusable water bottles, say no to straws, cloth bags when shopping, and reusing and recycling when possible!
8. What is your favorite coastal animal, and why? I love all species of sea turtles, especially the loggerhead sea turtle. I am fascinated with their life history: nesting on the same beach as they were born on and the eggs actually hatching. Seeing the complete process of a female laying her eggs during a late night turtle walk changed the way I looked at all things marine related.
9. Do you have a message you would like to share with readers of this newsletter? You can make a difference! I challenge you every time you go to the beach, pick up and throw away (or recycle!) 5 pieces of trash and to challenge your friends and family to do the same.

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This summer’s Critter of the Quarter is the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), which is the most abundant nesting sea turtle present in Florida. Loggerhead nesting and hatching season runs from May 1 through October 31st in the state of Florida, which is why this species was chosen for this quarter. The loggerhead sea turtle can weigh around 400 pounds as an adult and has a hard shell called a carapace. They are reddish brown in color and have a large head (which is where the name “loggerhead” comes from) that has strong jaws for crushing their prey (typically mollusks and crustaceans). 

Loggerhead sea turtles are reptiles and must exit the ocean to dig nests and deposit their eggs in the beach sand. The females then cover their nests and camouflage them and return to the ocean. Their nests may be subject to predation by raccoons, coyotes, foxes, ghost crabs and other animals. After 45 to 60 days, the eggs hatch, and the hatchling turtles dig their way up out of the sand together. At the surface, they orient towards the brightest horizon, which should be the ocean. Once they make it to the water, they have a “swimming frenzy” period that allows them to get out to the sargassum weed in the oceanic gyres. There they spend the next several years until they settle out as juveniles into neritic (nearshore) habitat. Once they become adults, they will make the long migration to their natal beaches to repeat the cycle.

Threats to these turtles include incidental capture from fisheries, coastal development and marine debris. Artificial lights near nesting beaches may draw turtles landward in a process we call “disorientation”. Disoriented turtles are more likely to be caught by predators or may die from exhaustion or dehydration. Those that eventually make it to the water may be less fit for their offshore journey. Humans can modify their lights on beachside buildings to prevent them from disorienting turtles. Other threats to loggerheads include marine debris. Turtles can become tangled in things like discarded fishing gear that could damage their flesh or even prevent them from surfacing to breathe air. Some marine debris such as plastic bags and released balloons may also resemble their food items, causing them to ingest it and become ill or die. Properly disposing of debris and minimizing the amount of plastic you consume are great ways to prevent this risk to turtles. There is even a state law that regulates balloon releases for this reason.

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