The Struggle of Turtles
Ben Buckley | December 2017
As we made our way to the beach at one of the ports our cruise ship stopped at in the Caribbean, I cannot help but to remember how terrified I was. I have never been an avid swimmer. I’m not the second coming of Michael Phelps but I can swim to save my life. On this gorgeous day in March, we were going snorkeling. I am not sure whether it was the fact that I just do not like swimming or if it was not really knowing how to properly snorkel. Sure, we had an instructor. But 9-year-old me was probably definitely distracted by something so I definitely was not paying attention to him.
After we went over the instructions and tips on how to stay afloat and keep the top of the snorkel out of the water, we all made our way into the water. I still clearly remember the first thing I thought when I got in the water, “what! I can see my feet at the bottom!!” Growing up and going to the beaches of both North and South Carolina, I never remember a time that I was able to see my feet at the bottom. This blew my 9-year-old mind.
We walk out deep enough to start snorkeling and my mind was continuously blown by everything I was able to see. As Dr. Seuss once wrote, “one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish,” was exactly what I saw. But the one thing that I just could not take my eyes off of were the turtles. To this day, I have no idea which species of sea turtles I saw, but I was captivated.
There are seven species of sea turtles - loggerhead, olive ridley, leatherback, hawksbill, green, Kemp’s ridley, and the flatback. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Kemp’s ridley and hawksbill as critically endangered; the green is listed as endangered; the loggerhead, olive ridley and leatherback are classified as vulnerable. The flatback is data deficient so the IUCN cannot officially classify them.
The hawksbill sea turtle are about three feet in length and their average weight is around 180 pounds. In 2015, scientists found that the hawksbill is biofluorescent which made it the first reptile with this characteristic. One of its standout features is its beautifully colored shell.
Hawksbill sea turtles are incredibly beneficial to the environment. They feed on sponges in reef ecosystems. This is beneficial because sponges are incredibly aggressive and, without the hawksbill, the reefs would not be able to support the colonization of coral, which is extremely crucial considering a major coral bleaching event has been going on for years. If sponges were left unchecked by the turtles, corals would be unable to face the day to day pressures that they do.
I’m not sure there are many people who does not like going to the beach, whether it is for the weekend or a long vacation. Growing up, we went at least twice a year. My mother’s parents own a beachfront condominium so we could go whenever we wanted. Wouldn’t you think that there are enough beach properties already - houses, condos, hotels, you name it, it can be found along the coast line. But for some reason, there is a demand for more and more properties. These properties are only getting closer to the shore. And this is devastating for the turtles.
Sea turtles utilize the shore for so many different things, namely as a nesting site. With encroaching development, nesting sites are in a constant decline. Hawksbill turtles, in particular, love to build their nest under vegetation. The encroaching development destroys all of the vegetation. I can vaguely remember very little dune vegetation on the beaches of North and South Carolina. The desire for new development rids the turtle of valuable nesting sites. Not only is this harmful to the turtles, but it is also devastating to the beaches as their eggs provide nutrients that help keep the beaches and dunes healthy.
Human desire for luxury goods has also played a critical role in the endangerment of Hawksbills and can be traced back to when Julius Caesar was in power in Rome. The desire for the shell of the turtles has not slowed down since. Between 1950 and 1992, experts estimate that nearly 1.4 million hawksbill turtles were killed just for their shell. Even though shell trade is outlawed in many countries. As of October 2016, 182 countries and the European Union signed Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora which declared the trade, killing, capturing, and harassing the turtles illegal. The turtle is also considered a delicacy in some parts of the world.
So, what can we do about this? First, let’s start with development. How many more houses, condominiums, and hotels do we need along the coast? Aren’t there enough already? If state governments will not put legislation regarding building along the coast into action, local municipalities should. If new construction is a must, create a setback law that requires new construction to be a set amount of feet away from the dunes. This will help cease the destruction of nesting sites for turtles.
Secondly, an effort to rejuvenate the dunes and the vegetation along the dunes will be beneficial to not only the turtles and beach, but to the communities as well. Dunes act as a natural protective barrier from wind and wave erosion. Without them, communities could face damages during storms. Rejuvenating the dunes will also create an increase in nesting sites for the turtles.
Although tortoiseshell trade is illegal in 183 countries, it is still taking place in many of the countries that have outlawed it. By cracking down on the illegal activity of the industry, we should see an increase of hawksbill turtles in no time.
As we have seen throughout history, many extinctions are driven by human driven climate change. The crisis of the hawksbill turtle presents a different type of issue though - a near extinction event solely caused by human actions.
Ben Buckley | December 2017
As we made our way to the beach at one of the ports our cruise ship stopped at in the Caribbean, I cannot help but to remember how terrified I was. I have never been an avid swimmer. I’m not the second coming of Michael Phelps but I can swim to save my life. On this gorgeous day in March, we were going snorkeling. I am not sure whether it was the fact that I just do not like swimming or if it was not really knowing how to properly snorkel. Sure, we had an instructor. But 9-year-old me was probably definitely distracted by something so I definitely was not paying attention to him.
After we went over the instructions and tips on how to stay afloat and keep the top of the snorkel out of the water, we all made our way into the water. I still clearly remember the first thing I thought when I got in the water, “what! I can see my feet at the bottom!!” Growing up and going to the beaches of both North and South Carolina, I never remember a time that I was able to see my feet at the bottom. This blew my 9-year-old mind.
We walk out deep enough to start snorkeling and my mind was continuously blown by everything I was able to see. As Dr. Seuss once wrote, “one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish,” was exactly what I saw. But the one thing that I just could not take my eyes off of were the turtles. To this day, I have no idea which species of sea turtles I saw, but I was captivated.
There are seven species of sea turtles - loggerhead, olive ridley, leatherback, hawksbill, green, Kemp’s ridley, and the flatback. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Kemp’s ridley and hawksbill as critically endangered; the green is listed as endangered; the loggerhead, olive ridley and leatherback are classified as vulnerable. The flatback is data deficient so the IUCN cannot officially classify them.
The hawksbill sea turtle are about three feet in length and their average weight is around 180 pounds. In 2015, scientists found that the hawksbill is biofluorescent which made it the first reptile with this characteristic. One of its standout features is its beautifully colored shell.
Hawksbill sea turtles are incredibly beneficial to the environment. They feed on sponges in reef ecosystems. This is beneficial because sponges are incredibly aggressive and, without the hawksbill, the reefs would not be able to support the colonization of coral, which is extremely crucial considering a major coral bleaching event has been going on for years. If sponges were left unchecked by the turtles, corals would be unable to face the day to day pressures that they do.
I’m not sure there are many people who does not like going to the beach, whether it is for the weekend or a long vacation. Growing up, we went at least twice a year. My mother’s parents own a beachfront condominium so we could go whenever we wanted. Wouldn’t you think that there are enough beach properties already - houses, condos, hotels, you name it, it can be found along the coast line. But for some reason, there is a demand for more and more properties. These properties are only getting closer to the shore. And this is devastating for the turtles.
Sea turtles utilize the shore for so many different things, namely as a nesting site. With encroaching development, nesting sites are in a constant decline. Hawksbill turtles, in particular, love to build their nest under vegetation. The encroaching development destroys all of the vegetation. I can vaguely remember very little dune vegetation on the beaches of North and South Carolina. The desire for new development rids the turtle of valuable nesting sites. Not only is this harmful to the turtles, but it is also devastating to the beaches as their eggs provide nutrients that help keep the beaches and dunes healthy.
Human desire for luxury goods has also played a critical role in the endangerment of Hawksbills and can be traced back to when Julius Caesar was in power in Rome. The desire for the shell of the turtles has not slowed down since. Between 1950 and 1992, experts estimate that nearly 1.4 million hawksbill turtles were killed just for their shell. Even though shell trade is outlawed in many countries. As of October 2016, 182 countries and the European Union signed Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora which declared the trade, killing, capturing, and harassing the turtles illegal. The turtle is also considered a delicacy in some parts of the world.
So, what can we do about this? First, let’s start with development. How many more houses, condominiums, and hotels do we need along the coast? Aren’t there enough already? If state governments will not put legislation regarding building along the coast into action, local municipalities should. If new construction is a must, create a setback law that requires new construction to be a set amount of feet away from the dunes. This will help cease the destruction of nesting sites for turtles.
Secondly, an effort to rejuvenate the dunes and the vegetation along the dunes will be beneficial to not only the turtles and beach, but to the communities as well. Dunes act as a natural protective barrier from wind and wave erosion. Without them, communities could face damages during storms. Rejuvenating the dunes will also create an increase in nesting sites for the turtles.
Although tortoiseshell trade is illegal in 183 countries, it is still taking place in many of the countries that have outlawed it. By cracking down on the illegal activity of the industry, we should see an increase of hawksbill turtles in no time.
As we have seen throughout history, many extinctions are driven by human driven climate change. The crisis of the hawksbill turtle presents a different type of issue though - a near extinction event solely caused by human actions.