Tuesday morning, officials from the City of Deerfield Beach, Broward County, Ocean Rescue, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, and Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier gathered to learn the proper protocol to follow in the event a sea turtle is accidentally hooked on the pier.

The RPI’s newest First Responders sat behind the pier house counter while my presentation was projected onto the wall at the front of the shop.  Pier attendants paused every few minutes to welcome local anglers for the day.

After we covered sea turtle ecology, conservation, and rescue steps, we walked the pier to install three sets of signage and the hoop net, stopping to speak with anglers along the way. 

We are thrilled to have another pier so close to home join our efforts.  As important as it is to expand our geographical reach, we’re equally proud to have another Southeast Florida pier on board, the fourth in the area.  Hopefully there will be more to report soon.  Southeast Florida is home to more nesting sea turtles than almost anywhere else in the world.  Solving the problem presented by fishing pier interactions is just one piece of the puzzle for these endangered species, but we have a viable solution and the more anglers we can speak to, the better.

Turtles that are hooked at the International Fishing Pier will likely be rescued by Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program responders and treated at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.  Both of these organizations are important partners to Loggerhead Marinelife Center and we are very grateful that their expertise can contribute to the Responsible Pier Initiative.