Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Florida
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Light pollution that associates with human development disorients sea turtle hatchlings. Although the light management to reduce artificial lighting is underway, the quantified spatial data on hatchling orientation accuracies and measurements to show the progress of the management efforts are limited. The present project provides information on the threats of artificial lighting that can be directly reduced in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The partners of the study include the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and multiple counties in the state of Florida. The project produces the models that predict hatchling orientation accuracies using light intensity data that can be easily collected by the stakeholders.