What Are We Doing to Protect Turtles

What Is Currently Being Done to Protect the Loggerhead:

Efforts are already being made to help save the loggerhead from their

near extinction, from donations and charities to specific styles of fishing hooks that will help to stop fisheries from killing the turtles, which is one of the main reasons why this poor species is so devastatingly endangered (Loggerhead Turtle, 2015). The WWF has been working to reduce the bycatch style of fishing and switching fishermen to circle hooks, as well as avoiding longlines and gillnets (Loggerhead Turtle, 2015).

The WWF, along with other foundations and supporting groups, patrol

beaches ensuring the turtle nests and hatchlings are safe from harm, as well as use satellites to monitor possible interactions between dangerous fisheries and unsuspecting turtles (Loggerhead Turtle, 2015). There are also several ways to contribute or donate to different Loggerhead organizations or to “adopt” a turtle symbolically to help with the conservation efforts currently being made (Loggerhead Turtle, 2015).

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.

Can We Protect the Turtles?

Read more about laws

Organizations Dedicated to Helping the Loggerhead:

There are also several turtle organizations devoted to helping bring back the loggerheads from the brink of extinction:

Turtle Island Restoration Network: Leading events to restore beaches, rivers, and streams to protect the wildlife (Turtle Island Restoration Network, 2014).

Sea Turtle Inc: Working to rescue and rehabilitate the sea turtles and educating the public (Sea Turtle Inc, 2015).

Sea Turtle Conservancy: Rigorous research of the turtles in order to keep them from going extinct and protect them (Threats From Marine Debris, 2015).

Check out the Turtle Island Restoration Network

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Check out the Sea Turtle Inc.

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Check out the Sea Turtle Conservancy

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Loggerheads In Captive Breeding:

There are also a number of captive breeding programs and marine reserves (aquariums) that have been putting forth efforts to help

the turtles population recover as well as to show the public all of the wonderful things about them:

Northern Carolina Aquariums: It is a nesting site that oversees the hatching process and makes sure the turtles are okay. If the hatchlings are too weak and can’t or won’t survive in the harsh open water the hatchlings are taken to aquariums until they are strong enough to be released back into the wild. The aquarium environments are carefully controlled and monitored to make sure the loggerheads are doing well. The majority of the turtles are released almost immediately, however, some remain in the aquariums in order to act as ambassadors for the loggerhead species. The aquarium also takes in any sea turtles that may have been harmed due to human activity, be it net entanglement or the ingestion of man made debris (North Carolina Aquariums, 2015).

Loggerhead Marinelife Center: They promote helping marinelife through conservation efforts, educating the public, and extensive volunteer work. They have launched a conservation plan, called the Responsible Pier Initiative, which is already being used by piers across America. The center is full of different ways to volunteer, such as: turtle walks, coastal outreach programs, ecotours, coastal exploration, hatchling releases, turtle adoptions, and their sea turtle hospital.

Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium: This aquarium is known for its loggerhead captive breeding program along with its sea turtle migration aquarium tank. It has been keeping up with its captive breeding program since 1995. The turtles are tested monthly throughout the year to ensure the turtles safety. However, captive breeding is unnatural and it has begun taking effect on the female turtles. They have been laying eggs more often and the reproductive physiology of the turtles began to be altered by the constant reproductive hormones (Kakizoe, 2010).

Beach Closings:

Another way that people are

helping the loggerhead is to close beaches. People watch, count the number of eggs, count the number of false crawls, see how many of the hatchlings make it to the ocean, and make sure the eggs and nests are okay and undisturbed. As soon as the hatching season rolls around, which is generally around May, volunteers patrol for turtles nests. Once the nests are found it is marked with stakes and covered with protective grating. The nests are then monitored for around 50-70 days. When the turtles start to hatch nightly watches are set up, and when all of the hatchlings from one nest are gone the shells and infertile eggs are counted and checked for and the site is then cleaned up. This repeats every night until October, when the hatching period is over (Holden Beach Turtle Watch Program, 2015).

Although all of these efforts are being made across the globe it’s not enough. Everyone

must ban together to bring the loggerheads back from the edge of extinction. They are so important to this world, it is on every single one of us not to let them die off. We can all do our part to bring this magical and wonderful creature back to its full glory.

What Else Should Be Done:

There are plenty of ways we can all do our part to help these poor and

suffering animals, including:

Not using flashlights when walking on the beach at night or for that matter walking on a known nesting beach: Baby turtles depend on the light of the moon to guide them to the ocean. When there are lots of lights, whether from flashlights or any other artificial lights, disrupting that the newborns can get lost or even die (How You Can Help Protect the Turtles, National Park Service).

Support good fisheries and fishing practices: Stopping fisheries from unnecessary and brutal turtle killings is incredibly important. Fishermen are one of the biggest reasons why the turtles are becoming increasingly endangered. The fishing companies know fully well that the places they fish are along the turtles migration path. They often get caught within the nets and die (Network for Endangered Sea Turtles, Network for Endangered Sea Turtles). Make sure whatever fishing produce you buy at the grocers is turtle friendly.

Keep dogs on their leashes: Dogs often cause a lot of dangerous problems for the turtles. They run around and trample nests, they eat the eggs, and they disrupt nesting areas. The turtles have a very difficult time surviving as it is in their early life, please take note of that and make it easier for them. Keep your dogs on leashes and away from nesting beaches (How You Can Help Protect the Turtles, National Park Service).

Reduce the amount of plastic used in your household: It doesn’t matter if you don’t bring the plastic to the beach yourself, it will eventually find its way into the water. One of the turtles favorite food is jellyfish. Unfortunately, the turtles often mistake plastic bags and plastic products for the jellyfish and try to eat them. This can lead to choking hazards and unnecessary death for the poor loggerheads. To help recycle your plastics, use reusable cloth bags when grocery shopping, support local bans on plastic bags, volunteer to clean beaches, and make sure to not release balloons in the air (Threats From Marine Debris, 2015).

Find out how YOU can help

Protecting the turtle eggs and hatchlings: There are countless predators and dangers that turtles have to face even before they reach the water. Give them a fighting chance by avoiding known nesting beaches, boycotting coastal development, and volunteering to help keep the beaches clean (Loggerhead Sea Turtle, US Fish and Wildlife Service).

Coastal development: Habitat destruction is a huge issue for any endangered species and a main cause for why a species may be endangered. The female turtles need to return to the beach where they hatched in order to lay their own eggs. That can’t happen if the beach is developed in anyway. Boycott any coastal development on any known turtle beaches to keep the turtle safe and able to return (Loggerhead Turtle, 2015). Similarly, army bases in Florida are practicing with tanks and other army vehicles on known nesting beaches which disrupts and harms the nests and babies (Loggerhead Sea Turtle, US Fish and Wildlife Service).

Reducing global climate change: Lower your carbon footprint! Climate change has a huge impact on turtles all over the world. Rise in ocean temperature can be disastrous for loggerhead clutches. They depend on specific temperatures to determine the genders of the embryos. If a majority of the eggs hatch as only one gender it could drop loggerhead population numbers substantially. Use green energy and keep the beaches from growing warmer (Effects of Ocean Temperature on Nesting Phenology and Fecundity of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, 2015).

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.