Safe Hatch Initiative helps to protect loggerhead sea turtles

Loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings on Virginia Key now have stronger protection thanks to the Safe Hatch Initiative. MORAES (Marine Order for Research and Environmental Stewardship) in South Florida launched this initiative in June with Turtl Project and Historic Virginia Key Beach Park to help the baby turtles reach the Atlantic Ocean.

Rising nest predation on Virginia Key in Miami prompted the launch of this conservation effort, which now seeks sponsor support. In 2024, MORAES documented raccoon interference with nearly 60% of the endangered loggerhead sea turtle nests on Virginia Key, resulting in the loss of almost 2,000 eggs and 43 hatchlings. While raccoons are native predators and ecologically important to Virginia Key, their increasing presence has disrupted the fragile balance between species. The project aims to understand and address this imbalance through proper research and assessment without harming any of the island’s species.

With assistance from Florida Environmental and Wildlife Management Services, the project’s coordinators will monitor, survey and analyze the island park’s raccoon population. If necessary, a portion of those raccoons will safely be relocated to areas of need within the Everglades. The relocations will be based on data collected using eight years of continuous trail camera footage that has been cross-referenced with Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge that indicates where raccoons play a fundamental role within the Everglades ecosystem. Thus, showing that reintroduction efforts are an encouraged and viable solution.

To ensure the Safe Hatch Initiative’s success, MORAES is calling for sponsorship from individuals and organizations interested in supporting the loggerhead sea turtles and Virginia Key’s historic ecosystem. Everyone interested in helping to fund the initiative is invited to contact the coordinators at info@soflomoraes.com

Click here for more information on the Safe Hatch Initiative, and watch MORAES’s short Instagram video about the project here (@soflomoraes).