Sea Turtle

Sea turtles have been on the earth for the last 100 million years. Each year approximately 42,000 sea turtles die of unnatural causes. Sea turtles live in oceans from the reefs of the Coral Triangle to the beaches of the Eastern Pacific, mainly in tropical and subtropical waters, as well as in the Indian Ocean ("Sea Turtle" World Wild Life). They grow to be 2-7 feet long and weigh about 70-1500 pounds. ("Sea Turtles" National Geographic). A sea turtle’s life starts in an egg. They hatch in the nests on the beach. As baby turtles, they make their way to the ocean. Once they are full-grown, they head back to where they were born to mate. The females then start the cycle again as they go to the beaches to lay their eggs (The Life Cycle of Sea Turtles).

Seven species of sea turtles exist: Green Sea Turtle, Leatherback, Loggerhead, Hawksbill, Olive Ridley, Kemp's Ridley, and Flatback. Leatherback, Loggerhead, and Kemp's Ridley adult diets make them carnivores. These species eat things from jellyfish, crabs, shrimp fish, and other small body invertebrates. Hawksbills are spongivores, as their diet consists of only sponges. Flatbacks and Olive Ridley are omnivores. They consume jellyfish, crabs, shrimp fish aswell as seaweed, algae, and other plants. Green Sea Turtles are herbivores, eating mostly seagrass and algae. For most sea turtles, their fluctuate as they grow from hatchling to adult.

Each species of sea turtles have different mouths and jaws that are specially shaped for their other diet preferences. Loggerhead sea turtles have strong, large jaws, enabling them to crush harsh shelled prey. Leatherbacks have shape mouths with a pointy cusp, allowing them to pierce and hold their jellyfish. Green sea titles have a finely serrated edged beak. This helps them tear through seagrass and scrape algae off hard surfaces (What Do Sea Turtles Eat?).

Why Are Sea Turtles Endangered?

1. Habitat Loss

Sea turtles are losing their habitats due to humans. Humans destroy the female turtle’s nesting beaches. Vehicles compact the sand, making it impossible to dig nests. Newly born sea turtles have a challenge making it to the ocean as lights from roads and buildings disturb the hatchling's path to the sea, these lights lead them away from the ocean ("Sea Turtle" World Wild Life). These human-caused obstacles lead to only 1 in every 1,000 hatched sea turtles making it to the ocean and surviving until adulthood. Coral reefs and seagrass beds, which are turtle feeding grounds, are being destroyed, affecting their ability to find food. Sea turtles also struggle due to the overdeveloped coastal areas which have created fewer places for them to live (Sea Turtles Conservation Program).

2. Climate Change

As climate change warms the planet, it is disrupting the normal ratios of the sex of turtles, where fewer males are hatching ("Sea Turtle" World Wild Life). There is a 3:1 ratio of female sea turtles to male sea turtles globally (About Sea Turtles). Sea turtles nesting sites are also being affected as sea levels rise due to climate change, destroying nesting beaches ("Sea Turtle" World Wild Life).

3: Pollution

Sea turtles are affected by the pollution that is in all the waters around the world. Plastic in the ocean confuses sea turtles, as they mistake plastic for jellyfish. They choke on it when attempting to eat it or it will clog their digestive system both resulting in death (Ocean Plastic & Sea Turtles). Sea turtles are also getting lost and entangled in fishing gear which causes them to not be able to feed and swim and even drown. Trash on beaches prevents newly hatched turtles from reaching the ocean as they can get trapped. Sea turtles are also being poisoned by oil spills that are going into the ocean. This pollution in the waters causes health problems as they ingest trash, chemicals, discarded fishing nets, lines, and hooks (Sea Turtles Conservation Program).

4: Accidental Capture

Turtles suffer from accidental capture by fishing gear, known as bycatch. Fishing nets and shrimp trawls cause sea turtles much harm as they are unable to come to the surface to breathe. 4,600 sea turtles die every year just from bycatching ("Sea Turtle" World Wild Life).

5. Trade and Eating

Humans poach sea turtles for their eggs, meat, skin, and shells causing their populations a constant decline for a hundred years now. Many different cultures around the world eat turtle meat and their eggs. Sea turtles are also killed for medicine and some religious ceremonies (Sea Turtles Conservation Program). Every year tens of thousands of sea turtles are also killed this way. Sea Turtles are killed for the domestic and international markets. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is a global agreement to ban international trade of species that are threatened, and who prohibit international trade of all sea turtles, however, many people still participate in the illegal trade of sea turtles anyway ("Sea Turtle" World Wild Life).

Why Sea Turtles Are Important

Sea turtles are a "keystone species" in the ocean. This means they are an essential component of their environment and influence other animals and elements around them. When a keystone species is eliminated from its habitat, the natural environment will be disrupted, negatively impacting the other species.

Sea turtles control their prey number in the ocean. Leatherback sea turtles manage the jellyfish population and hawksbill help the reefs by eating sponges, who compete with them for space in their habitat. Green turtles graze on seagrass helping keep the seagrass beds healthy which benefits many other species in the environment as well as help store carbon in the ocean. The sea turtles also help the beaches as the eggs from their hatchlings that do not survive are nutrients for coastal vegetation. Hatchlings are an essential source of food for animals including birds, fish, and raccoons.

Sea turtles play an important role in coastal and native communities. Many people rely on turtle watching or diving for income and jobs. The species is also part of many indigenous communities' cultures. Studies have also shown the emotional and psychological benefits of viewing sea turtles in the wild (Why Are Sea Turtles Important?).

Many people every year go to visit sea turtles as they have tourism value and cultural significance. Sea turtles are a needed animal in the marine ecosystem, as they help keep the seagrass beds and coral reefs healthy. This helps other species like lobster, shrimp, and tuna ("Sea Turtle" World Wild Life).

Change

Sea turtles are dying for many reasons caused by humans. In 1973 the United States Endangered Species Act was passed. This stated that "No person may take, harass, harm, pursue, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or attempt to engage in any such conduct to marine turtles, turtle nests, and/or turtle eggs" (Sea Turtles Conservation Program). Violations of this could lead to a fine between $25,000 and $100,000 and up to a year in prison (Sea Turtles Conservation Program).

To help save the sea turtles, be conscious and responsible about the seafood you are purchasing. Asking where and how the seafood was caught to ensure it was not caught in ways that harm or kill the turtles. Also, if you see a sick or injured sea turtle be sure to contact the local ocean networks.

To protect Sea Turtles' habitats people must reduce the marine debris that can entangle or be eaten by sea turtles. Plastic bags, water bottles, and balloons all get mistaken by prey and injure the sea turtles when they ingest them. By participating in beach clean-ups and reducing the use of plastic, the ocean and beaches will be cleaner and will decrease the risk of hurting more species.

Turtle's nesting sites must stay dark for the sea turtles to be safe. Humans need to ensure any lights directed towards the beach are off, as female sea turtles get discouraged from coming onto the beaches to lay their eggs because of the possible danger, detering and disorienting the hatchling sea turtles. Many organizations have been attempting to solve this problem by watching and observing nesting sites, hoping to keep the beach undisturbed and the species protected from obstacles like chairs, boats, sandcastles, and holes (What can you do to Save the Sea Turtles?).

Hawksbill sea turtle shells are used by many vendors for souvenirs. By reducing purchases of these souvenirs, people can decrease the demand for the turtle's shell.

By reducing their carbon footprint you can help save the sea turtles. The warming of the planet, because of climate change, has skewed sex ratios in hatchlings disrupting the ratio. Climate change has also increased the destruction of nesting beaches. Sea turtle organizations advocate for individuals, businesses, and the government to reduce their use and emission of toxins. Chemicals, like oxybenzone, in some types of sunscreen damage coral reefs. In order to not pollute the sea turtles habitat, buy brands that have labels stating "Reef Friendly."

Donating to wildlife conservation, like Billion Baby Turtles, helps save the endangered species. For every dollar donated, the organization can save up to 10 sea turtle hatchlings. Billion Baby Turtles have saved more than 3 million hatchlings already (See Turtles).

Donate:

https://www.seeturtles.org/donate

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/sea-turtle

Artist Statement

In America, 70 million plastic water bottles are used each day. Every day about 8 million pieces of plastic find their way into the ocean each. For this sea turtle art project, I wanted to recycle and reuse a material that endangers animals daily. I collected water bottles from family, friends, classmates, and teammates. I used these water bottles and their caps to create a sea turtle. I want to make a statement with this piece of art that we need to use less plastic and start reusing the plastic we use to help save our environment. My goal is to spread awareness to the community not to use plastic water bottles anymore; there are alternatives.

The Art:

Waste: The amount of plastic going to waste is much less than what it would have been if all the full bottles were recycled.