Sea Turtle Conservation

 

Sea Turtle Conservation

Today I joined Todd Steiner in his talk about the conservation of sea turtles. Todd is a wildlife ecologist, as well as, the executive director and founder of Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN).

Green sea turtle

TIRN is based in California but has done research and conservation all over the world. Most of their work however is focused on the pacific ocean.

There are a total of 7 species of sea turtles, 5 of which are based in the pacific, 1 in the Atlantic, and 1 that is exclusive to Australian shallow waters and beaches.  

Sea turtles have a complex life history, and its because of this, they are vulnerable. 

General life history of sea turtles:

• Eggs are laid and incubate for 8-10 weeks.

• Offspring hatch and attempt to make their way to the sea, some are eaten by birds, raccoons, and crabs.

• After reaching the sea, hatchlings begin their "lost years" where they float around for 5-20years, going where the currents take them.

• After reaching sexual maturity, they begin their "developmental migration" stage. This is where they return to coastal regions or islands, and will begin migrating between feeding and nesting areas.

• finally, they will breed and lay eggs on beaches, just as their predecessors did.

Conservation Issues

Sea turtles have what is called temperature dependent sex determination. This is where temperature can determine the sex of the offspring. 

Sea turtle hatchling

Females are produced when the eggs are exposed to warmer temperatures, and males when exposed to colder temperatures. 

Because of the rising temperatures of climate change, an abnormal ratio of increased females is being produced.

The increasing temperature is also making the sand on beaches hotter, causing the survival rate of hatchlings to decrease.

Additionally, with the melting ice caps, the sea levels are rising. This is reducing the number of available nesting grounds.  

Leatherback sea turtles have the longest migration on earth, traveling from Indonesia breeding grounds to California water to feed on jellyfish.  

Due to this long migration and diet, they are exposed to fishing trawlers and eating of plastic bags that look like jellyfish.

plastic bag vs jellyfish comparison

Conservation Efforts

There are many conservation efforts used to protect sea turtles.

Conservation tools:

• Conservation science

• Science-based advocacy

• Grassroots organizing

• Grassroots training

• Public media campaigns

• Legal action

• Consumer activism

• Collaboration

• Policy development

In 1990, Todd Steiner and his team had a Mexican sea turtle slaughter house closed through protest and converted into a museum dedicated to sea turtle appreciation, education, and conservation.  

Todd and his team also convinced the Mexican government to join CITES, which made commercial killing of sea turtles for international trade illegal in Mexico.

Todd and his team also pressured the US government to create the seafood certification program which pressured shrimp trawlers to use the turtle excluder device in their nets. 

This also led to the creation of the US turtle-shrimp law which prevented the import of seafood that did not have this certificate. 

Student Reflection

While I enjoyed learning about sea turtles and like them, I do not have a particular interest in aquatic organisms, and so it is unlikely I will go down this career path. 

However, it is helpful to consider different aspects and practical ways to implement conservation. There are several adjacent career paths that could also aid in their protection, e.g. environmental law, climate science, etc. 
it is still unclear what direction will be taken. 

Disclaimer: All views expressed are my own. Images and videos used on this blog are not my own and all rights go to the original owners. This blog and contents are for educational purposes. If you have a copyright issue please contact me via email on author profile.