Turtles

Over the last couple of summers, I've started seeing more and more sea turtles on the Alligator Point spit. I don't ever remember seeing them growing up out in the water other than the occasional baby turtle you might see swimming along the grass line. I would guess that the re-emergence of the turtles in the bay is directly due to the net ban enacted back in the mid 90s. I still remain opposed to the net ban because I think it does more harm than good. Franklin County was home to a number of commercial fisherman and their families who depended on saltwater nets for their livelihood. Taking away the nets hurt the local fishing industry and as a result forced the county leaders to seek new ways to put the waterfront to use. Long story short, in comes the big development company, which is now transforming the region.

We may see more turtles today, but will that be the case when there are more recreational boats in the water and more runoff of fertilizers and pesticides from the newly developed lawns and golf courses making their way into the Gulf. Not too mention that many of the areas where the turtles would nest will now be challenged by greater human contact.