Predation of loggerhead sea turtle eggs across Georgia’s barrier islands

• Published in: Global ecology and conservation 2020-09, Vol.23, p.e01139, Article e01139
• Main Authors: Butler, Zachary P., Wenger, Seth J., Pfaller, Joseph B., Dodd, Mark G., Ondich, Breanna L., Coleman, Scott, Gaskin, Jaynie L., Hickey, Nancy, Kitchens-Hayes, Kimberly, Vance, Robert K., Williams, Kristina L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Caretta caretta; Egg loss; Georgia coast; Loggerhead sea turtle; Predation; Predator management
• ISSN: 2351-9894; 2351-9894
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01139

Nesting beach management is a vital element of the population recovery efforts for the vulnerable loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) across the globe. In the southeast United Sates, turtle nests are threatened by numerous anthropogenic and natural threats, including predation of eggs by native and non-native predators. We analyzed loggerhead nest predation and other egg; loss using an exceptional 10-year data set (2009–2018) that covered nesting beaches on 12 islands on the Georgia coast. Our objectives were to 1) determine which predators cause the greatest loss of loggerhead sea turtle eggs, 2) evaluate whether non-native species have a higher; rate of predation than native species, and 3) compare predation rates to other major sources of egg loss across these islands. Our results show that under current strategies for nest management: 1) non-native feral hogs and native raccoons have the greatest impact as predators on sea turtle eggs; 2) non-native predators have caused significantly more egg loss across Georgia’s coast than native species, but the impact varies greatly by species; and 3) losses to predation are similar in magnitude to post-management losses from tides and storms over the last decade. We recommend the continued use of multiple management techniques, including nest screening and; targeted predator management, but caution that predator controls should be focused on those demonstrated to cause significant losses in order to prioritize conservation funding. •Feral hogs and raccoons have the greatest impact as predators of sea turtle eggs along the Georgia coast.•Non-native predators have caused significantly more egg loss across Georgia’s coast than native species.•Losses to predation are similar in magnitude to post-management losses from tides and storms over the last decade.•Making informed predator management decisions is important for allocating conservation funding.