If you witness someone disturbing a sea turtle or nest in the United States, call NOAA Fisheries’ enforcement hotline at 800-853-1964. NOAA says live operators are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Report what you saw, where and when it happened; you do not need to prove a violation or have photos before calling.
Choose the right reporting route
| Situation | Who to contact | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Someone appears to be disturbing a nest, handling eggs, harassing a turtle, or otherwise violating wildlife protections | NOAA Fisheries’ enforcement hotline: 800-853-1964; your state or territorial wildlife enforcement agency may also take reports. | Report suspected human conduct for enforcement review. |
| A turtle is sick, injured, stranded, entangled, or dead | Contact the local sea turtle stranding coordinator or network using NOAA’s regional and state contact list. | Arrange an animal-response assessment by trained responders. |
These routes can both apply: report suspected human-caused disturbance to enforcement, and contact the stranding network if the turtle also needs a response. The stranding contact depends on your state or territory; use the sea turtle listing rather than a general marine-mammal contact.
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What to tell the enforcement operator
Give the operator the clearest account you can. Useful details include:
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- The beach, access point, or nearest landmark.
- The date and time, including whether the activity is happening now.
- What you observed, described plainly—for example, someone touching a turtle, digging at a nest, or removing eggs.
- Descriptions or names of people, vessels, or vehicles, if known without approaching.
- Witness names and contact details, if available.
Report observations rather than declaring someone guilty. Circumstances matter, and an apparent close approach does not by itself establish a violation. Do not delay a call because a detail or identification is missing. NOAA’s reporting guidance identifies location, date, time, activity, and available names as useful information.
Keep your distance and document only if safe
Stay away from the turtle and nest. Do not touch eggs, move nest markers, shine lights, chase the animal, or confront the person. Keep other people and pets back if you can do so without putting yourself at risk, and leave response to trained, authorized personnel. NOAA’s distress guidance advises reporting people or pets tormenting, disturbing, or attempting to touch marine wildlife.
If you are already at a safe distance and it is lawful to do so, record what is happening without moving closer. NOAA’s Hawaiʻi-specific guide says video that clearly shows both people and animals can document an encounter; photos may help identify people, vessels, or vehicles. Media is helpful, not required. Do not risk your safety or delay reporting to get a better image. See NOAA’s Hawaiʻi guide to reporting potential marine wildlife harassment for that documentation advice.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Local numbers differ by state and territory
NOAA’s national hotline is the general U.S. route for suspected federal marine-resource violations, but local agencies may provide additional instructions or reporting channels. For example, Florida directs reports of nest disturbance and injured, dead, or harassed sea turtles to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline, 1-888-404-FWCC (3922). Hawaiʻi lists NOAA enforcement at 1-800-853-1964 for suspected illegal interactions and the NOAA Marine Wildlife Hotline at 1-888-256-9840 for distressed wildlife. These are location-specific examples, not numbers to use everywhere; confirm current directions on the official Florida FWC sea turtle reporting page or Hawaiʻi DLNR sea turtle page.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThis guidance is for the United States. If the incident is elsewhere, contact that country’s or region’s wildlife enforcement authority; U.S. hotline numbers may not handle reports outside their jurisdiction.
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