Turtle Friendly Lighting
The incorrect lighting at beachfront developments can prevent sea turtles from nesting and hinder baby turtles from safely reaching the ocean. [1] This highlights the importance of Turtle Friendly Lighting in these areas to improve the survival rate of sea turtles.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has developed a series of guidelines and recommendations to assist lighting designers and engineers in making informed decisions when specifying light fittings for impacted developments.
The complete document is available here: https://myfwc.com/media/18511/seaturtle-lightingguidelines.pdf
The FWC has identified three key criterias:
Keep it LOW
Mount the luminaire as low as possible and use the lowest wattage necessary for the needed purpose. [6]
Keep it LONG
Use long wavelength (greater than 560 nm) light sources such as amber, orange, and red LEDs. [2]
Keep it SHIELDED
Use luminaire that meet or exceed full cutoff that shield lamps or glowing lenses from being directly visible. [3]
Unfortunately, there are no off-the-shelf solutions for meeting the FWC guidelines or any situation that requires input from specialists and professionals. However, you can be assured that all Turtle Friendly luminaires in the LIGMAN catalog are certified to produce light sources that emit only wavelengths above 560 nm in the visible spectrum, in accordance with FWC guidelines. [4]
Disorientation from artificial lighting causes thousands of hatchling deaths each year in Florida, making it a significant marine turtle conservation issue. [5]
It is important to follow local lighting recommendations for standard compliance, in addition to the FWC Sea Turtle Lighting Guidelines. This ensures that lighting in coastal developments within protected areas does not negatively impact the local ecosystem.
– Browse LIGMAN’s range of Turtle Friendly Lighting: https://www.ligman.com/turtle-friendly-technology/
– FWC Information about Sea Turtles and Lights: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/sea-turtle/lighting/
The Difference Between Colour Temperatures
References
[1] James T. Price, Bruce Drye, Rebecca J. Domangue, and Frank V. Paladino. Exploring The Role of Artificial Lighting in Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta) Nest-Site Selection and Hatchling Disorientation. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 2018, p. 415.
[2] Katharine Robertson, David T. Booth, Colin J. Limpus. An Assessment of ‘Turtle-Friendly’ Lights on the Sea-Finding Behaviour of Loggerhead Turtle Hatchlings (Caretta caretta). Wildlife Research, 2016. DOI: 10.1071/WR15138.
[3] Ecological Associates, Inc. Coastal Roadway Lighting Manual. Prepared for Florida Power & Light Company, April 1998, p. 29.
[4] Suhernalis, Mulyono S. Baskoro, Alwi Mulato. How Does Artificial Light Affect the Behavior of Green Turtles Chelonia mydas? Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries, Vol. 29(2), 2025, p. 702.
[5] Blair E. Witherington & Karen A. Bjorndal. Influences of Artificial Lighting on the Seaward Orientation of Hatchling Loggerhead Turtles Caretta caretta. Biological Conservation, 1991, p. 140.
[6] myfwc.com https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/sea-turtle/lighting/