Sea Turtles - continuation Sea turtles are tied to the land only through their nestings. As they get closer to shore, their interactions with people can interrupt normal nesting behavior. For example, bright lights at night can drive the females away from certain beaches. Fishing and boating activity can cause the turtles to drown, and boat propellers can damage the animals.
Abrupt temperature changes in the water currents also can stress sea turtles.
Conservation and volunteers groups along the coast report dead and live strandings, false crawls, nesting and hatching activities of turtles. The data is reported to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. This year more than 360 sea turtles, including loggerheads and Kemp's Ridleys, have washed up on the shore and died. This spring 209 turtles died on the ocean facing Hatteras Island' s beach. Several beaches, including Bald Head Island, have volunteer sea turtle monitoring programs.