Save the Turtles

Out of all of the stories and pictures I share from here, the thing that people seem most interested in are the sea turtles. The two turtles found most commonly here on Pom Pom are the Green Turtle and the Hawksbill Turtle, both of which are endangered. I sat in on a turtle lecture and learned more about how many threats they face due to environmental conditions and humans, and after hearing about these it’s no wonder they are endangered.

Climate Change: Temperature plays a large part in how turtle eggs hatch, with prime conditions being between 27 and 31 degrees Celsius. The gender of the eggs is also determined by temperature, as warmer temperatures result in female hatchlings, while cooler temperatures produce more males. Because of global warming, these warmer temperatures are either producing higher amounts of female hatchlings, or creating conditions in which the eggs are not hatched at all. With male hatchlings dropping, this also makes mating conditions more difficult.

Plastic: In a 2018 survey taken across the world, scientists surveyed hundreds of turtles and did not find a single turtle that did not have traces of plastic in it. Turtles often mistake plastic for food. The plastic makes them feel full as if they had eaten food, and because of this they are actually not receiving the proper nutrition while feeling like they’ve eaten enough. In addition, consuming large amounts of plastic actually makes the turtles more buoyant, causing them to float up to the surface and not be able to sink back down. This increases the chance that a turtle will be injured by a boat or not be able to sink down in search of food.

Poaching for Cultural Delicacies or Profit: In certain areas, turtle eggs or meat are consumed as a delicacy. Because of this, poachers are able to take the eggs and sell them for a much higher profit than some of the other fish they catch. In a lot of areas, things like turtle soup or turtle eggs are illegal and turtles are supposed to be protected, but this only makes the delicacy even more rare and desirable to some.

Artificial Light: When hatching, baby turtles instinctually follow the moon’s light as a guide to return to the sea. Because of the artificial light generated by humans in the form of lamp posts, flash lights, and much of the lighting used at resorts and hotels where these turtle eggs hatch, the baby turtles become disoriented and can’t distinguish between light produced by humans and the moon. Because of this, they may walk up the beach rather than down it and end up dying on land without ever reaching the sea.

These are just some of the threats to turtles and it makes you realize how difficult it is for a turtle to survive from egg to adulthood. If you want to make a small difference, you can start by eliminating single use plastic like straws and water bottles. It may not seem like much, but a small change from a lot of people can start to move things in the right direction. If we didn’t have turtles, then we wouldn’t have turtles 🐢