Author: LeAenSUAREZGroup

The Ocean Tribe Paddling Club will host a Coastal Kayaking Basic Rescue Skills course on May 5 from 1 to 3 p.m.; meet on the Causeway Island A — closest to the toll booth — at 12:45 p.m.

The course is for paddlers who want to learn basic fundamentals of rescuing their selves and others while kayaking. When paddling, one never knows the dangers that could be in the waters ahead. Learn how to get back in a kayak and help someone else if necessary.

Participants can bring their own vessel. Club members can reserve a loaner vessel in advance by contacting OTP@sccf.org. For more membership information, visit https://oceantribeoutfitters.org/.

To attend, RSVP at https://oceantribeoutfitters.org/eventsandregistration.

The recreational harvest of greater amberjack will open in Gulf state and federal waters from May 1-31. Following a June-July closure, recreational harvest is scheduled to reopen again from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31.

If you plan to fish for greater amberjack or certain other reef fish species in Gulf or Atlantic state or federal waters from a private recreational vessel (includes anglers over 65 years of age), you must sign up as a State Reef Fish Angler prior to your fishing trip. It is a no-cost designation that must be renewed annually. Sign up at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com and visit MyFWC.com/SRFS to learn more.

Closed Sales
Closed sales for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2022 were up 3.19% from the preceding 12-months, from 35,264 to 36,390. The 3,171 closed sales during the month of March were only exceeded by March of 2021 when 4,593 sales were posted.

Listing Inventory / New Listings
2,456 properties were available as of March 31, 2022, down 12.82% from the same date in 2021 but up 22% from the 2,008  properties posted at the end of February. Months of supply, at .81, was down 15.51% from the year prior. New listings during the twelve months ending March 31, 2022 were down 3.22%, from 37,049 to 35,857. New listings for February were down 7.37% compared to the same month last year, but reflected the highest number of monthly new listings since January of 2020.

Average Selling Price
The average selling price for the 12-month period through March 31, 2022 was $670,785, up 20.95% from the preceding 12-month period when the average selling price was $554,574.

Summary
Although the pace of sales has slowed since their peak in 2021, the 3,171 closed sales for March 2022 exceeded any month preceding the pandemic-induced surge we experienced from mid-2020 through 2021. The increase in new listings in March were welcomed by buyers and, although the 4,106 new listings for the month were the most we’ve seen for any month since early 2020, they are directly in line with the rate at which listings entered for March in the years preceding the pandemic. With new listings entering the market at a more normal pace, and with sales having cooled down somewhat from their earlier feverish pace, listing inventory has posted slow but steady increases in recent months. However, with 2,456 properties available at the end of March, we are a long way from the pre-pandemic level of just under 13,000 properties posted in January of 2020, a number which was considered to have reflected a slight undersupply at the time.

Click here for the full report

Sea turtle nesting season officially started on April 15th, 2022, and will last through October.

As of April 7, the SCCF had recorded no early activity or false crawls.

Sea turtle monitoring originally began on Sanibel in the 1950s with Charles LeBuff and Caretta Research Inc., making it one of the longest-running monitoring programs in the country. When Caretta Research disbanded in 1992, the SCCF took over the program and continues to manage it today.

Loggerhead is the most common marine turtle species to nest on the islands, followed by the green sea turtle. Leatherbacks and Kemp’s ridleys are rarer, but they have nested on Sanibel-Captiva before.

Loggerheads typically are about 2 feet to 3 feet long and weigh 150 to 300 pounds. With large, bulky block-like heads and powerful jaws — how they got their name — they prey on hard-shelled mollusks, whelks and conches. Females lay three to six nests per year on average but nest every couple of years.

Green sea turtles are bigger, about 3 feet to 3 1/2 feet and weighing upward of 350 or 400 pounds. Their head is small relative to their body, and they are named “green” because their fat is green-colored due to a mostly vegetarian diet of seagrass and algae. Greens lay three to six nests every other year.

Leatherbacks are the largest of the species, growing up to 6 feet in length and weighing 500 to 1,500 pounds. With a diet that consists almost entirely of jellyfish, they do not have a typical “hard shell” like the others; theirs is a “leathery-skin” shell with seven distinct ridges along it, which serves a purpose. Nesting every couple of years, leatherback turtles typically lay five to eight nests.

The Kemp’s are the smallest of the sea turtle species. They average about 1 foot to 2 feet in length and can weigh 50 to 100 pounds. Kemp’s ridleys are omnivorous so they will eat a range of different prey, including crustaceans, mollusks, and fish.

Nesting every one to three years, they lay two to four nests — but not at night, like the other species. In the 2021 season, the SCCF recorded a total of 931 nests and 46,796 hatchlings.

Broken down by species, there were 904 loggerhead nests and 45,063 hatchlings. For greens, there were 27 nests and 1,733 hatchlings. No leatherback nor Kemp’s nests were recorded last season.

As for 2022, regional evidence shows an increasing nesting trend over the years.

You can help sea turtles that nest on Florida’s beaches, you just need to follow below rules

• Turn off or shield all lights that are visible from the beach. Do not use flashlights or cell phone lights on the beach. If necessary, use amber or red LED bulbs.
• Do not disturb the screens covering nests. They prevent predators from eating the eggs and the hatchlings emerge through the holes without assistance.
• Remove all beach furniture and equipment from the beach at night.
• Dispose of fishing line properly to avoid wildlife entanglement.
  Fill in large holes that can trap hatchlings and nesting sea turtles.
• Do not disturb nesting turtles – please do not to get too close, shine lights on, or take flash photos of nesting sea turtles.
  Pick up litter.

In addition, boaters can do their part to keep the surrounding waters sea turtle-friendly by:

• Avoid the area along the beach, if possible.
• Having a designated spotter on the boat to look out for sea turtles.
• Wearing polarized sunglasses to help with spotting sea turtles.
• Going as slow as possible in areas where sea turtles are or might be.

Relaxing, enjoyable, and filled with adventure, are some of the ways that families use to describe Blind Pass. Blind Pass sustains abundant wildlife while providing locals and tourists with a pristine area for shelling and fishing. From swimming to sunbathing, Blind pass provides endless opportunities for adventure and fantastic views of the island.

History: Blind Pass was re-opened in 2009 after closing for many years. The reopening was a monumental project that was spearheaded by Commissioner Rene Miville. Maintaining Blind Pass in an open state is an important factor contributing to enhanced flushing of the interior waterways of Captiva and Sanibel.

Current State of Blind Pass after the 2021 Beach renourishment: As expected, Captiva’s beach sand migrates south towards the pass, contributing to the creation of natural sand bars along with the opening of the pass, these “by-passing bars” are beneficial as they allow the new sand from Captiva to continue southward and reduce the filling inside of the pass. Additionally, the sand can continue its natural course south benefiting the beaches of Sanibel.

Maintenance Dredging Status: Permit applications are already in process by the County with the various agencies. The County is currently monitoring the pass and dredging will commence when the beach from the recent Captiva nourishment project stabilizes. The County stands ready to respond if the need to act sooner arises.

The City of Sanibel received the following Notice from the Sanibel Prescribed Fire Task Force announcing an informational (virtual) meeting regarding prescribed burns and “firewise” principles on Sanibel.

During the 2022 summer/fall season, the Sanibel Prescribed Fire Task Force is planning prescribed burns on the following conservation lands:

SCCF/City of Sanibel
Sanibel Gardens
Erick A. Lindblad Preserve
Frannie’s Preserve

USFWS, JN “Ding” Darling NWR
Botanical Site

Click here to view map