Just Keep Swimming
Sea turtles have been around since the dinosaur age. That makes them one of the oldest species on the planet. To be more exact sea turtles have been around longer than 110 million years (Save Sea Turtle). There are seven different types of sea turtles, all which look different, have different diets, and live in different parts of the world (Save Sea Turtle). While they may all be different, there is one thing in common: their population is depleting. Some may wonder why give so much attention to these animals. There are multiple reasons why sea turtles need help in saving their population. As an intelligent, resourceful species, humans need to come up with a plan to keep sea turtles around for the next 110 million years. They impact two different ecosystems and their loss will directly impact human life.
Sea turtles can be somewhat considered the lawnmowers of the ocean. Many species are grazing turtles and eat sea grass. By these turtles keeping the sea grass beds cut short, it keeps the beds healthy. Over the past few decades there has been a decline in sea grass beds which is related to the decreasing population of sea turtles. These grass beds are very important to ocean life, they provide breeding grounds for different species of fish. If these beds were to disappear, the population of different species would also decline. The beds are also important for human harvest, the beds hold crustaceans and different shellfish that humans harvest for food. So, if sea turtles become extinct, the beds will become overgrown and inhabitable, which will lead to other fish species becoming extinct, and then the end result will have direct impact to human life. Every species has a role in the ocean, when one disappears there is a chain reaction.
Sea turtles are also a key part of the beach and dune ecosystems. Because sand cannot hold nutrients there are not many plants or vegetation directly on the beach. During the summer female sea turtles lay nests in the sand. Each nest can have about 100 eggs and each sea turtle will lay anywhere between 3-7 nests in one summer. Nest at Wrightsville beach, North Carolina
Between each female turtle that comes to nest there are approximately 150000 eggs laid. Each egg may not hatch nor will every nest. In reality only one in 1000 to 10000 will survive. These unhatched eggs and nests provide excellent nutrients for the dunes(Sea Turtle Conservancy). Sadly, in reference to the survival statistic previously stated, many turtles will not make it out of the nest. These hatchlings also provide nutrients to the sand. If it were not for sea turtles promoting a healthy dune ecosystem, beaches would become increasingly eroded. While these are just two reasons why sea turtles are important, they are reasons that directly impact human life. We as humans need to be aware of how we are impacting sea turtles lives.
From before a sea turtle even hatches it has multiple threats. Starting with wildlife, there are many creatures that try to eat turtle eggs and hatchlings, such as raccoons, crabs, birds, and even ants. If a hatchling is lucky enough to make it to the ocean, they now have to watch out for bigger prey that will have them for a snack. These include seals, large fish, sharks, and whales. Once a turtle has reached adulthood they are safe from natural threats for the most part, there may be an occasional shark attack against them here or there. While these are detrimental the sea turtles it unfortunately is not the main cause of the population decline.
While there are many reasons why sea turtles are on their way to being extinct many of them are human threats. One for example is harvesting sea turtles for their meat, shell trading, and longline fishing are human threats to turtles. Harvesting is a massive problem but, laws and government agencies have been put in place to prevent these activities from happening(Sea Turtle Conservancy). In 1973 and international law was put into place: The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of 1973. This law has been signed by over 145 countries around the world. It makes it illegal to trade different species of endangered and threatened wildlife(U.S. Wildlife Services). Thanks to this law Mexico has stopped its pre-Easter tradition of traveling to the coast to hunt sea turtles as well as other sea life. This tradition would cause the death of over 5000 turtles in one short period (Sea Turtle Conservancy). As far as The United States, there are also federal laws put into place that protect endangered wildlife such as the sea turtles. One for instance is the Endangered Species Act of 1972 which gives endangered species federal protection and assistance to help repopulate (U.S Wildlife Services). Punishments for breaking these laws vary by country and even down to state depending on where the criminal act took place. Although there are different laws put into place, there are still countries that have no restrictions on hunting endangered species, and unfortunately there are those out there that just do not care what the law states they will continue to hunt sea turtles. Many different conservatory groups continue to press for more strict laws on a federal level as well as internationally. These groups should not stop until there is a significant improvement in population.
There are two even bigger unintentional threats that need the most attention. The first being lights, yes lights. Female sea turtles need a dark quiet beach to lay her eggs on. If the beach is too lit she will head back into the ocean and possibly deposit her eggs in the water. As stated previously, a female can lay up to 100 eggs in one session, if those eggs are deposited into the ocean that is 100 less possible turtles to be hatched. Not only do lights effecting nesting, they also affect the hatching process (Sea Turtle Conservancy). If there are too many lights when the hatchlings are digging their way out of the nest, they become incredibly disoriented and can potentially travel inland rather than towards the ocean. To prevent this problem there needs to be no artificial light on the beach during summer season at certain times of night and early mornings. It is known that this can prevent the death of thousands of turtles, getting tourists and even those who live beachside to comply with the lighting is an issue. It is more so the lack of knowledge than the deliberate use of lights. When I first started the research and proposal I thought I was going to learn a lot more about turtles and the different threats. I did not expect artificial lights to be as big of threat as they are. While in North Carolina I spent a few nights on the beach near turtle nests in hopes of seeing a female come to lay her eggs. While on the beach I took notice to amount of lights were still on around the beachside. Common lights were restaurants and bars and different tourist’s shops. It was very disheartening knowing there could possibly be females waiting to make their nests but were forced away because of city lights. There are many signs and notices to please keep lights off as well as the reasons why. In time I am hoping there will be city laws put into place to keep lights off from certain times of the day during the summer nesting months.
The second biggest threat to turtles is pollution into the waters. Plastic debris and other types of trash that are floating in the ocean are often ingested by sea turtles. Not only do sea turtles try to eat the debris thinking it is something in their diet but many of times they can become entangled in plastic(Sea Turtle Conservancy). When I started this paper I was planning on researching more of the prevention of polluting the ocean with plastics and what can be done to help. Upon visiting North Carolina I noticed that the pollution is not always directly linked to those who are beachside. Many of the beaches have signs posted for no littering, based on observation the beaches take this very seriously. You can be fined or placed under arrest if caught littering on the beach. I had the pleasure of meeting this little 11 month old Loggerhead sea turtle on my trip. He is staying at the sea turtle hospital for only a few more months. He was entangled in the plastic wraps that go around plastic bottles when he was a baby. He was not in good health at the time but thanks to the amazing volunteers that work day and night to help he is scheduled to be released into the wild this October. The recycling and plastic issue is not just a state or country wide issue but in fact a global issue. Recycling and pollution have been a nationwide issue for many many years, visiting North Carolina truly showed me that there is so much work that needs to be done to not only save sea turtles but to save so many other species. Losing one species, in any ecosystem, will drastically change not only our lives but the lives of generations to come.
Creating a plan to save the sea turtles and being proactive is incredibly crucial. Saving and aiding them now is much easier than trying to rearrange and reorganize the entire ocean ecosystem if they were to become extinct. There is so much work to be done with just sea turtles it saddens me that they are not the only species that need this kind of help. I want to get others motivated to help the environment, any type, ocean, lakes, deserts, which area you are passionate about there is always work to be done. There are so many species that need help to survive but humans are the problem and thankfully the answer. Every action has a reaction, bottom line. I cannot wait to go back for a longer period of time and become even more hands on with the turtles. Because the turtles that were in the hospital were not in good health, volunteers must undergo extensive training and certifications to handle and care for the turtles. I did not have enough time to complete all of the training but I plan on going back in the very near future to continue to volunteer and do my best to save this species. Anyone can help this cause, recycling is incredibly easy and so beneficial to not only sea turtles but for every species, even humans.
Sea turtles can be somewhat considered the lawnmowers of the ocean. Many species are grazing turtles and eat sea grass. By these turtles keeping the sea grass beds cut short, it keeps the beds healthy. Over the past few decades there has been a decline in sea grass beds which is related to the decreasing population of sea turtles. These grass beds are very important to ocean life, they provide breeding grounds for different species of fish. If these beds were to disappear, the population of different species would also decline. The beds are also important for human harvest, the beds hold crustaceans and different shellfish that humans harvest for food. So, if sea turtles become extinct, the beds will become overgrown and inhabitable, which will lead to other fish species becoming extinct, and then the end result will have direct impact to human life. Every species has a role in the ocean, when one disappears there is a chain reaction.
Sea turtles are also a key part of the beach and dune ecosystems. Because sand cannot hold nutrients there are not many plants or vegetation directly on the beach. During the summer female sea turtles lay nests in the sand. Each nest can have about 100 eggs and each sea turtle will lay anywhere between 3-7 nests in one summer. Nest at Wrightsville beach, North Carolina
Between each female turtle that comes to nest there are approximately 150000 eggs laid. Each egg may not hatch nor will every nest. In reality only one in 1000 to 10000 will survive. These unhatched eggs and nests provide excellent nutrients for the dunes(Sea Turtle Conservancy). Sadly, in reference to the survival statistic previously stated, many turtles will not make it out of the nest. These hatchlings also provide nutrients to the sand. If it were not for sea turtles promoting a healthy dune ecosystem, beaches would become increasingly eroded. While these are just two reasons why sea turtles are important, they are reasons that directly impact human life. We as humans need to be aware of how we are impacting sea turtles lives.
From before a sea turtle even hatches it has multiple threats. Starting with wildlife, there are many creatures that try to eat turtle eggs and hatchlings, such as raccoons, crabs, birds, and even ants. If a hatchling is lucky enough to make it to the ocean, they now have to watch out for bigger prey that will have them for a snack. These include seals, large fish, sharks, and whales. Once a turtle has reached adulthood they are safe from natural threats for the most part, there may be an occasional shark attack against them here or there. While these are detrimental the sea turtles it unfortunately is not the main cause of the population decline.
While there are many reasons why sea turtles are on their way to being extinct many of them are human threats. One for example is harvesting sea turtles for their meat, shell trading, and longline fishing are human threats to turtles. Harvesting is a massive problem but, laws and government agencies have been put in place to prevent these activities from happening(Sea Turtle Conservancy). In 1973 and international law was put into place: The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of 1973. This law has been signed by over 145 countries around the world. It makes it illegal to trade different species of endangered and threatened wildlife(U.S. Wildlife Services). Thanks to this law Mexico has stopped its pre-Easter tradition of traveling to the coast to hunt sea turtles as well as other sea life. This tradition would cause the death of over 5000 turtles in one short period (Sea Turtle Conservancy). As far as The United States, there are also federal laws put into place that protect endangered wildlife such as the sea turtles. One for instance is the Endangered Species Act of 1972 which gives endangered species federal protection and assistance to help repopulate (U.S Wildlife Services). Punishments for breaking these laws vary by country and even down to state depending on where the criminal act took place. Although there are different laws put into place, there are still countries that have no restrictions on hunting endangered species, and unfortunately there are those out there that just do not care what the law states they will continue to hunt sea turtles. Many different conservatory groups continue to press for more strict laws on a federal level as well as internationally. These groups should not stop until there is a significant improvement in population.
There are two even bigger unintentional threats that need the most attention. The first being lights, yes lights. Female sea turtles need a dark quiet beach to lay her eggs on. If the beach is too lit she will head back into the ocean and possibly deposit her eggs in the water. As stated previously, a female can lay up to 100 eggs in one session, if those eggs are deposited into the ocean that is 100 less possible turtles to be hatched. Not only do lights effecting nesting, they also affect the hatching process (Sea Turtle Conservancy). If there are too many lights when the hatchlings are digging their way out of the nest, they become incredibly disoriented and can potentially travel inland rather than towards the ocean. To prevent this problem there needs to be no artificial light on the beach during summer season at certain times of night and early mornings. It is known that this can prevent the death of thousands of turtles, getting tourists and even those who live beachside to comply with the lighting is an issue. It is more so the lack of knowledge than the deliberate use of lights. When I first started the research and proposal I thought I was going to learn a lot more about turtles and the different threats. I did not expect artificial lights to be as big of threat as they are. While in North Carolina I spent a few nights on the beach near turtle nests in hopes of seeing a female come to lay her eggs. While on the beach I took notice to amount of lights were still on around the beachside. Common lights were restaurants and bars and different tourist’s shops. It was very disheartening knowing there could possibly be females waiting to make their nests but were forced away because of city lights. There are many signs and notices to please keep lights off as well as the reasons why. In time I am hoping there will be city laws put into place to keep lights off from certain times of the day during the summer nesting months.
The second biggest threat to turtles is pollution into the waters. Plastic debris and other types of trash that are floating in the ocean are often ingested by sea turtles. Not only do sea turtles try to eat the debris thinking it is something in their diet but many of times they can become entangled in plastic(Sea Turtle Conservancy). When I started this paper I was planning on researching more of the prevention of polluting the ocean with plastics and what can be done to help. Upon visiting North Carolina I noticed that the pollution is not always directly linked to those who are beachside. Many of the beaches have signs posted for no littering, based on observation the beaches take this very seriously. You can be fined or placed under arrest if caught littering on the beach. I had the pleasure of meeting this little 11 month old Loggerhead sea turtle on my trip. He is staying at the sea turtle hospital for only a few more months. He was entangled in the plastic wraps that go around plastic bottles when he was a baby. He was not in good health at the time but thanks to the amazing volunteers that work day and night to help he is scheduled to be released into the wild this October. The recycling and plastic issue is not just a state or country wide issue but in fact a global issue. Recycling and pollution have been a nationwide issue for many many years, visiting North Carolina truly showed me that there is so much work that needs to be done to not only save sea turtles but to save so many other species. Losing one species, in any ecosystem, will drastically change not only our lives but the lives of generations to come.
Creating a plan to save the sea turtles and being proactive is incredibly crucial. Saving and aiding them now is much easier than trying to rearrange and reorganize the entire ocean ecosystem if they were to become extinct. There is so much work to be done with just sea turtles it saddens me that they are not the only species that need this kind of help. I want to get others motivated to help the environment, any type, ocean, lakes, deserts, which area you are passionate about there is always work to be done. There are so many species that need help to survive but humans are the problem and thankfully the answer. Every action has a reaction, bottom line. I cannot wait to go back for a longer period of time and become even more hands on with the turtles. Because the turtles that were in the hospital were not in good health, volunteers must undergo extensive training and certifications to handle and care for the turtles. I did not have enough time to complete all of the training but I plan on going back in the very near future to continue to volunteer and do my best to save this species. Anyone can help this cause, recycling is incredibly easy and so beneficial to not only sea turtles but for every species, even humans.