Loggerhead
Turtle
Haley's Opinion
Hundreds of serene creatures swim peacefully and calmly through the world's oceans, the most majestic and mysterious of these being the sea turtle. The Loggerhead Turtle, along with his sea turtle siblings, have been on this planet since before we had even hoped to exist. These creatures are older even than most dinosaurs. And yet, despite their amicable disposition and longevity, the human race seems to be wiping them out at an alarming rate without so much as a glance back. Should we be looking back though? Are these animals even worth saving?
First and foremost, humans are the sole reason that this species is struggling. Humans have sent the Loggerhead’s population into a downward spiral and therefore it is our obligation to bring them back. It may be blunt, but it's true! We as humans should be held responsible for our actions, no matter what they are. A child who vandalizes a wall will have to clean it up. A man who robs another man will be held responsible. These crimes in our society are prevalent, and although they are much more publicized, they are no less common than our causing of the decline of species. For this crime, along with any other in our civilized world, we should be held accountable and should be expected to make it right. We have caused the damage, now it is our duty to reverse it.
Not only are we responsible for the recovery of the Loggerhead simply because we have caused their pain, but also because they are an astonishingly important species to people, ancient and present day. The loss of the Loggerhead would mean the loss of the species with far reaching magical and spiritual significance. Turtles, throughout history have transcended cultures as a symbol of creation, emotional strength, and wisdom (General Information, 2015). They are believed to be a Symbol of the world and a connection to the Earth in Native American culture (Harris, 2012) and are incredibly important to many Hawaiian customs and traditions (Sea Turtles in Culture, 2014). The crazy thing is that despite the value that these creatures hold in so many hearts and for so many cultures, they are still falling at an alarming rate.
In addition, these creatures are also crucial for our economies and for the health of our world. They are a keystone species meaning that hundreds of other species depend on their survival for their own, including us! (Loggerhead Turtle, 2015) The Loggerheads, through their diet, help regulate jellyfish populations and also climate change. Losing the him doesn’t just mean losing one species, it means endangering hundreds while also saying goodbye to the vast benefits of healthy ocean and dune ecosystems. It may also mean an increased rate of climate change Wave goodbye to dreams of a white Christmas and sandy beaches. Say hello to floods, hurricanes, and drought. Losing the turtles would also mean immense economic stress on the nations that depend on them for ecotourism (Steiner, 2010), and the fishing fleets that need the
turtles to regulate the jellies (Wilson, 2015). And after all, the cost to save them is
significantly lower than that of other species (Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta), 2014).
Now, thanks to the efforts of hundreds of organizations and NGO’s around the
world, the turtles awareness is growing and they may even be making a comeback. But
just that isn't enough. Average everyday people need to get involved and help save this
calm, gentle, and increasingly important creature.
Stephanie's Opinion
Gabby's Opinion
In my personal opinion the loggerhead turtle is definitely worth saving. The pros to
keeping it alive absolutely outweigh the cons. The only somewhat understandable
reason as to why the turtle shouldn’t be saved is to make it easier for the fishing
companies all over the world to not have to deal with them. It is incredibly selfish and
unfair to discount animals justto help lazy fisherman who don’t care about the animals
they kill in order to get as much money as possible. As it is the fishermen clearly don’t
care that they’re alreadyhurting the turtles as hundreds of thousands of them are killed
every year due to longlines, bycatch, and shrimp nets (Loggerhead Turtle, 2015).
The turtles are worth saving not only because they are wonderful, magical creatures who deserve not to be killed
off by us, but also because hundreds of other species, all over the world, depend on them for survival (Loggerhead Turtle, 2015). If we let them go extinct we wouldn’t just lose them, we would have to mourn the loss of a healthy ocean ecosystem, a nutrient rich sea floor, and an ocean with a balanced population of jellyfish (Wilson, 2015). Not to mention the economic stress losing the turtles would put on countries that depend on them to bring in tourists (Steiner, 2010). It would also mean the loss of a species with magical and spiritual connotations. The turtles are a symbol in indigenous mythologies, usually having to do with creation, longevity, and wisdom in these beliefs (General Information, 2015).The turtles have also been used in Hawaiian customs and traditions for decades (Sea Turtles in Culture, 2014).
Furthermore, from an economic standpoint, the cost to save these majestic creatures is much lower than the conservation costs of other endangered species. The total cost would be around $6,390,000 (Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta), 2014) compared to the $78,000,000 the United States spent to protect the Bald Eagle (Platt, 2009).
Thanks to contributions made by Northern Oceanic Atmospheric
Administration, The World Wildlife Fund, Endangered Species Act,
and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the forms of laws,
donations, and conservation teams, efforts are being made to help
bring back the turtles population. In my opinion, however, it isn’t
enough. These animals deserve better, they have done nothing but
migrate through their natural life cycles when we started to disturb
and slaughter them to support our own agenda. It’s not fair to them
that we decide their fate, yet we also can’t sit by and do nothing. We
have to work together to make a difference, to make an important
impact for a dying species. There are plenty of ways everyone can
help, from not using flashlights on the beach at night to making a
donation at the WWF to making sure your local beaches are safe for these turtle nests. Everyone has to do their part in order to keep a beautiful species loved by all from going extinct. If these animals are not worth your time and effort I don’t know what would be.
Stephanie's Opinion
The planet has been sent into a mass extinction by none other than the humans, in the last century even we have destroyed more of this gorgeous planet than in all of history. Not only are our unique and beautiful species endangered but all of the earth, both biotic and abiotic. Now it is the responsibility of the human race to clean up the mess they have created. Although the conservation of the turtles can be costly the loggerhead turtle should be saved because it is a beautiful turtle that is essential to both the environment and our own economies.
Conserving the turtles will have a cost it will require on a more local scale people to buy organic, use reusable recycled products and to live more sustainable which is more expensive, and not currently accessible to everyone. It will also require billion dollar fishing industry to cut back, and develop new methods all of which are costly. The example set by the United States should be followed, they were so concerned about the North Pacific loggerhead population that in 2002 they shut down Hawaii’s $55 million/yr. swordfish fleet to develop ways to avoid bycatch (Loggerhead Sea Turtle. National Wildlife Federation, 2015). Farmers have to choose not to use pesticides and we have to stop making products with plastic. We need to reduce our pollution and not only work together to save the turtles but work in broader areas such as climate change. The next cost would come from legislation, law enforcement and conservation efforts that are needed, such as beach protection and the employment of marine biologists and veterinarians. Money to pay for these will most likely come from taxpayers or donations. So saving the loggerhead turtle is costly but it is worth it?
The Loggerhead Turtles are not endangered enough to be gone and they are not a useless species that could slip away in noticed. These beautiful creatures are treasured all over the world. Several countries depend on the turtles as a source of pride, beauty, and income and actually depend on the ecotourism that the turtles bring to keep up their economy (Steiner, 2010). Sea turtles also have spiritual or mythological importance in many cultures around the world (Information About SeaTurtles: Loggerhead Sea Turtle, 2015). As it was discussed in the film Fresh a healthy ecosystem will in the long run yield more, than one altered by humans to create the most cash flow. This relates to ocean ecosystems in the same way it does to farms, studies have shown that by reducing the amount of fishing now and allowing populations to recover, there will be more fish being caught. The turtles are also key in maintaining ecosystems that humans can capitalize on.
The health and sustainability of the environment is dependent on the health of the Loggerhead turtle population (Information About Sea Turtles: Loggerhead Sea Turtle, 2015). If sea turtles went extinct, both the marine and the beach/dune ecosystems would be devastated. They maintain habitats such as seagrass beds, coral reefs, and beach dunes. The turtles recycle essential nutrients and keep ocean beds and floor sediments in complete balance (Information About Sea Turtles: Loggerhead Sea Turtle, 2015). Dune vegetation is able to grow and become stronger with the presence of nutrients from left over turtle eggs and dead turtles, turtle loss would likely lead to large amounts of erosion (Information About Sea Turtles: Loggerhead Sea Turtle, 2015). As many as 100 species of animals and plants have been recorded living on one single loggerhead turtle, (Loggerhead Turtle Facts) and many other populations depend on the services the loggerhead provides. Turtles help to control the seagrass populations that dozens of “low on the food chain” species as well as some of the species humans harvest are dependent on (Information About Sea Turtles: Loggerhead Sea Turtle, 2015). They also maintain a balanced food web by eating jellyfish. The jellyfish are filling in the empty niches that have been abandoned due to extinction. This is causing a huge problem for fishermen and economies that rely on the populations staying low and biodiversity so that they can access the amazing capital that ocean ecosystems wield (Wilson, 2015).
Loggerhead turtles are incredibly intelligent and beautiful animals that fill a very important role in our ecosystems. The consequences if they were to go extinct would be devastating both ecologically and economically, so it's important to make efforts to help conserve the loggerhead turtle with an understanding of their role in our world. It's the responsibility of coming generations to care for the world better than our parents. Although the conservation of the turtles can be costly the loggerhead turtle should be saved because it is a beautiful turtle that is essential to both the environment and our own economies.
