As fall brings cooler winds and the occasional passing storm to the Treasure Coast, it also ushers in an important and lesser-known chapter of the sea turtle year: washback season. After a summer of nesting on our local beaches, tiny hatchlings make their way out to sea, but rough weather can undo that hard-won journey. Understanding what washbacks are, and how to respond when you find one, is one of the most direct ways beachgoers in Vero Beach can help these fragile little animals survive.
What Is a Washback?
Washbacks are young, post-hatchling sea turtles that made it to the ocean earlier in the year and swam offshore to shelter in floating mats of sargassum seaweed. That drifting seaweed is a nursery, offering the tiny turtles both food and cover during their vulnerable first weeks and months. But because sargassum is so easily pushed around by strong winds and high surf, autumn storms can sweep the whole habitat, turtles and all, right back onto the beach. The turtles that wash ashore are often exhausted, dehydrated, and sometimes covered in algae and barnacles. They may look lifeless, but many are still alive and can be saved with prompt, expert care.
What to Do If You Find One
If you come across a washback on the beach, the most important rule is this: do not put it back in the water. A turtle that has washed ashore is usually too weak to swim and would likely drown or be swept out again. Instead, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which operates a statewide wildlife alert line, and follow the instructions the responders give you. If you are asked to help transport the turtle, keep it in a quiet, shaded container with a shallow layer of moist sand, never submerged in water, since hatchlings breathe air and an exhausted turtle cannot lift its head to do so. Trained volunteers and rehabilitation experts can then provide medical exams, fluids, and time to recover before the turtles are returned to healthy sargassum habitat offshore.
Helping Turtles All Year
Caring for sea turtles is not just a washback-season effort. Year-round, you can make a difference by keeping beaches dark and free of obstacles at night, filling in holes, and packing out your trash so nesting females and hatchlings are not blocked or trapped. Supporting local conservation and rehabilitation programs, whether through donations, volunteering, or symbolic turtle adoptions, helps fund the research, education, and around-the-clock care these animals depend on. Every small action adds up. When our whole community stays alert during washback season and mindful the rest of the year, more of these remarkable little travelers get a second chance at the open ocean they call home.