Turtles of the World: Why do they need to be saved?

1. Turtles of the World:Why do they need to be saved? Marine Biology Group B Project by Jessica Lyn Kutch March 19, 2010

2. Turtleshttp://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/Turtleshttp://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/ The images and information on slides 3-16 come from WWF. Hawksbill Flatback Olive Ridley Kemp’s Ridley Leatherback Loggerhead Green

3. Hawksbill Turtle http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/ • Why is this species important? Marine turtles fulfill important roles in marine ecosystemsHawksbill turtles also feed on invertebrates, with a predilection for sponges. When they dislodge pieces from the surface of the coral, this provides access to opportunistic reef fish to feed.

4. Flatback Turtle http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/ The flatback has a flat body and smooth carapace with upturned edges. It is also recognized by a single pair of prefrontal scales at the front of the head, and four pairs of costal scutes on the carapace. Not much is known about the flatback, a distinctive species with a limited range off the northern shores of Australia. Unknown numbers are reported to be caught as by catch of fishing vessels.

5. Olive Ridely Turtle Once slaughtered in the hundreds of thousands for meat and leather, olive ridleys have yet to recover from centuries of over-exploitation. While the species has a wide range, the number of important breeding sites is very restricted, so efforts to protect their major beaches are vital.The illegal harvest of their eggs in the Central American region continues, and there is also high mortality of adults due to coastal fisheries that do not yet use Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in their nets.WWF is working to protect important olive ridley nesting colonies in India and South America, and is lobbying for turtle-friendly fishing practices around the world. http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/

6. Kemp’s Ridley Turtle Kemp's ridley turtles are the most endangered of all cheloniids. The species has a restricted range and nests only along a small stretch of coastline in the Gulf of Mexico. In the 1940s, more than 100,000 came ashore here in a single day to nest. By the 1980s, numbers were down to a few hundred nesting females.Conservation efforts lead by USA and Mexico have been ongoing since the 1970s, when the nesting beach of Rancho Nuevo was declared a National Reserve. These efforts have been successful and today there is a female breeding population of approximately 1,000 individuals.Although there has been an increase in the number of nests through the 1990s, since the introduction of Turtle Excluder Devices, shrimp trawling in the region remains a threat to the Kemp's ridley. The juvenile population of the Kemp's ridley is also threatened by pollution in the Gulf of Mexico around the mouths of the Alabama and Mississippi rivers, important development habitats for these animals. http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/

7. Leatherback Turtle The leatherback turtle has survived for more than a hundred million years, but is now facing extinction. Recent estimates of numbers show that this species is declining precipitously throughout its range, particularly in the Pacific over the last twenty years: as few as 2,300 adult females now remain, making the Pacific leatherback the world's most endangered marine turtle population.Although Atlantic populations are rather more stable, models predict that they, too, will decline due to the large numbers of adults being killed accidentally by fishing fleets. In the Atlantic, the fact that they are widely distributed during the migration process and that they do not dive very deep increase the risk of interaction of leatherback turtles with longline fisheries. http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/

8. Loggerhead Turtles Loggerheads are highly migratory and particularly vulnerable to accidental capture in the nets and long-lines of the world's fisheries. Although Turtle Excluder Devices (TED), fitted into shrimp nets in some countries have lessened the threat, the use of these devices is not yet mandatory everywhere.Longline bycatch mitigation trials are also being conducted in several places across the world, but will they be in time to halt the decline? Loggerheads are the most common turtle in the Mediterranean, nesting on beaches from Greece and Turkey to Israel and Libya. However, many of their nesting beaches are under threat from tourist development. http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/

9. Green Turtle This species is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters, but is under threat everywhere from over-harvesting of both eggs and adults, and from accidental mortality in the nets and long-lines of fishing fleets. The Mediterranean population is categorized as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List. So called because of the greenish color of their cartilage and the fat deposits around their internal organs, green turtles are black-brown or greenish yellow in color. They grow up to 1.5 meters long and can reach 200 kg, but individuals from different populations vary widely in size. The carapace is oval when viewed from above, and the head is relatively small and blunt. This species is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters, but is under threat everywhere from over-harvesting of both eggs and adults, and from accidental mortality in the nets and long-lines of fishing fleets. The Mediterranean population is categorized as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List. Individuals from the East Pacific are smaller than their counterparts in the Western Caribbean in a wide range of external measurements, and are particularly dark in color, a trait that has shown to be genetically influenced. http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/

10. Maps Image taken from WWF

11. Why should they be protected? • "In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught."— Baba Dioum

12. What are their threats? • Habitat loss and degradation • Hunting and egg collection for consumption • International trade in products such as tortoiseshell from hawksbill turtles, green turtle calipee and leather from olive ridley turtles • Trapped in shrimping operations • Gill nets and long-line fisheries • Changing climate and global warming • Pollution • Disease • Natural predators

13. According to the Marine Turtle Specialist Group, the following are the top threats and impacts to turtle populations. http://www.iucn-mtsg.org/hazards/warming.shtml Fisheries Impacts: Sea turtles virtually everywhere are impacted by fisheries, especially longlines, gill nets, and trawls. The most severe of these impacts are bycatch mortality, habitat destruction and food web changes. Specific Burning Issue Hazards: Coastal gillnets; Driftnets; Bottom trawls; Pelagic longlines; Pot and trap fisheries; Discarded fishing gear; Seafloor alterations; Food web alterations. Direct Take: Sea turtles and their eggs are killed by people throughout the world for food, and for products including oil, leather and shell. Specific Burning Issue Hazards: Egg take; Take of turtles in-water; Take of nesting females. Global Warming: Global warming may impact natural sex ratios of hatchlings, will increase the frequency of extreme weather events, and may increase the likelihood of disease outbreaks for sea turtles. Global warming will result in loss of nesting beaches, and cause other alterations to critical sea turtle habitats and basic oceanographic processes. Specific Burning Issue Hazards: Loss of nesting beach (e.g. sea level rise, extreme weather); Oceanographic and meteorological changes (e.g. changing currents, ENSO, NAO); Beach temperature change; Sea temperature change.

14. http://www.iucn-mtsg.org/hazards/warming.shtml Coastal Development: Sea turtle habitats are degraded and destroyed by coastal development. This includes both shoreline and seafloor alterations, such as nesting beach degradation, seafloor dredging, vessel traffic, construction, and alteration of vegetation. Specific Burning Issue Hazards: Vessel traffic; Coastal construction (e.g. buildings, roads); Shoreline alteration (e.g. coastal armoring, sand mining, beach debris); Seafloor alterations (e.g. dredging, mining); Oil and gas activities; Exotic dune and beach vegetation. Pollution and Pathogens: Marine pollution, including plastics, discarded fishing gear, petroleum by-products, and other debris directly impact sea turtles through ingestion and entanglement. Light pollution disrupts nesting behavior and hatchling orientation, and leads to hatchling mortality. Chemical pollutants can weaken sea turtles’ immune systems, making them susceptible to pathogens. Specific Burning Issue Hazards: Ingestible plastics and Styrofoam; Oil, tar and other chemicals; Light pollution; Pathogens (e.g. Fibropapilloma); Nutrients and sediments (e.g. agricultural runoff, sewage). Information and images taken from http://www.iucn-mtsg.org/hazards/warming.shtml.

15. How do scientists study it in the wild? • Studying sea turtles are difficult, at best, to study. Because of the wide variety of variables, compounded by their existence in the water. • Seaturtle.org uses satellite tracking and analysis to study the turtles in the world and provides resources for others to do so as well. • http://www.seaturtle.org/STAT.pdf • According to an article in Innovations Report, UK Scientists Lead the Tracking of Atlantic’s Endangered Sea Turtles. Their work can be followed on seaturtle.org • According to the San Diego Seat Turtles blog, “What researchers do instead, is use large nets, designed specifically to capture but not harm the sea turtles. And because green sea turtles are endangered and are protected by the Endangered Species Act, researchers have permits and use special techniques when working with the turtles. Always on the water and watching the nets, researchers bring the caught turtles into the small research boat, and then bring the sea turtles onto shore. A typical "exam" done by the scientists includes weighing and measuring the turtle, taking samples for DNA and contaminant testing, and tagging the turtle so its movement can be monitored.” The work that they are doing can also be followed on twitter. (http://twitter.com/SDSeaTurtles)

16. What efforts are being done to protect it? According to Loggerhead Sea Turtle: A Case Study, “Since July 28, 1978 loggerheads have been listed as threatened throughout their entire range under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (National Research Council 1990, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 1997). The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have developed specific regulations to limit in water and on shore take respectively as required by the ESA. The term take means to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct” (ESA, Section 3:19). With a permit, individuals are allowed some limited amount of incidental take of loggerheads.” The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has outlawed international trade in sea turtles and their products. Several countries have developed their own regulations regarding loggerhead protection. The Bahamas has established a closed season on harvesting adult and subadult turtles and minimum size restrictions. Costa Rica employs a legal quota of loggerheads that can be taken. Mexico abates the poaching of eggs and nesting females by conducting beach patrols. When attempting to protect such a highly migratory animal, it is essential to have international protection efforts (National Research Council 1990). International agreements are abundant and can probably be found through a google search, some examples include: the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), and the Inter-American Convention for the Protection of Sea Turtles (IAC).

17. Activities Science/language arts -- write reports. Students from Enchanted Lakes Elementary School in Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii, created The Hawaiian Sea Turtle with the help of their teacher, Lena Kanemori, as a part of their site Endangered Species of Hawaii. Your students may use their Web pages as guides for writing simple reports on other endangered species. You might consider creating a site about endangered animals that live in your area. Science -- study sea turtles. Who could know more about sea turtles than the scientists of Sea World? The Sea World Web site is the perfect place to begin a study of Sea Turtles. When you have probed scientific facts about the habits, diet, and physiology of sea turtles, visit the portions of the site at the bottom of the home page that are designed to be more fun. Elementary students will love the activities A Turtle Tale, which includes a maze, and Follow That Turtle, a matching activity. Loggerhead Turtle Travels is the place for older students, who will enjoy the story of "Wrong-Way Corrigan," a sea turtle that had strayed off course and was rescued, cared for, and released by members of the Sea World staff. Art -- create a sea turtle postage stamp. Have your students exercise their creative talents by pretending to be members of a selection committee for postage stamps. Give your students time to view the sea turtle stamps that are on display at Sea Turtle Postage Stamps of the World. Then have the students make their own sea turtle stamps. They could use Internet resources to find pictures of actual sea turtle species to use as models for their designs. When they have finished, allow them to vote for the best stamps to be "published."

18. Activities Science -- role-play a sea turtle. Nothing brings home the message of the sea turtle's fight for survival better than this EuroTurtle: A Sea Turtle Adventure Game from the EuroTurtle Home Page. Students toss two coins to determine the course of a female sea turtle that is heading for the nesting grounds. Along the way, students learn about the many dangers that threaten the sea turtle and her young. Because the game changes with every toss of the coins, give your students plenty of time to play. In that way, they will see how often the sea turtles do not get to the nesting grounds safely. Language arts -- debate. The Cayman Turtle Farm offers a unique opportunity for older students to consider whether humans should interfere with the natural course of the lives of animals, even in an attempt to save them. Give your students time to examine the Web site. Ask them to share their opinions of the turtle farm. Is it beneficial? Does it have no impact? Or is its influence negative? Should people be permitted to harvest an endangered animal at all? Younger students will enjoy an on-line tour of the facility, including a view of the live picture from the WebCam, which focuses on the turtle pools. Science -- become a conservationist/activist. The Sea Turtle Restoration Project will serve as a call to action for high-school students. It identifies ways for people to get involved in the struggle to save sea turtles. Many of the activities are appropriate for students and could even be done in the classroom. The sea turtle is only one of many causes your students may elect to support. Take this opportunity to show them how to be effective, reasonable activists!

19. Works Cited - Resources WWF http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/ • http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/life_sciences/report-30724.html • http://sandiegoseaturtles.blogspot.com/2009/04/since-sea-turtles-in-san-deigo-bay-dont.html • http://www.nmfs.vt.edu/seaturtlewebsite/protection.php

20. Additional Readings Marine Turtle Newsletter http://www.seaturtle.org/mtn/archives/mtn100/mtn100p28.shtml For Kids http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/education/turtles.htm