Coming Together to Protect Sea Turtles
Defenders participated in the 39th Annual International Sea Turtle Symposium held in Charleston, South Carolina in February. The symposium, which was first held in Jacksonville, Florida in 1981, has grown from a small gathering in the southeastern U.S. to the premier annual event of global sea turtle conservation attended by more than 800 scientists, students, veterinarians, and advocates from more than 50 countries around the world, who come together to share information and explore new ways to protect and conserve sea turtles. The week-long event covers topics ranging from sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation to poaching enforcement, and features presentations from some of the leading sea turtle researchers across the globe. After being held in different parts of the world over the last decade, we were pleased to be able to participate in this important meeting held in our backyard. After all, the southeastern United States provides globally significant habitat for sea turtles. In fact, Florida beaches host 90% of sea turtle nesting in the continental U.S. and the largest rookery of loggerhead nesting in the world. And most sea turtle species spend time in our waters at one time or another.
There are seven species of sea turtle that inhabit Earth’s oceans: loggerhead, leatherback, green turtle, hawksbill, Kemp’s ridley, olive ridley, and flatback. All species are listed as threatened or endangered on the U.S. Endangered Species Act except the flatback, which has a very limited range. Listed species spend different parts of their long lives in different parts of the world. What they all have in common is that they rely on beaches for nesting. When they’re not nesting, sea turtles spend most of their lives in the ocean, and much of their journey around the globe remains a mystery to researchers.
Since sea turtles travel the globe, understanding their intricate life cycles requires significant international cooperation. Scientists are doing amazing work to unlock some of these mysteries that may help conservationists protect sea turtles. For example, the Lohmann Lab at the University of North Carolina has been studying the ways in which hatchling sea turtles use the Earth’s magnetic fields to navigate the ocean’s currents. Not only does magnetic navigation assist sea turtles to swim in the right currents throughout the year, it also guides adult sea turtles back to their home beaches for reproduction — a process called geomagnetic imprinting. In Australia, decades-long experiments and sea turtle tracking projects have helped demonstrate that green turtles take 30 years to mature reproductively, and this research has also informed scientists that not all species of sea turtle nest every year.
Sea turtle biology isn’t all that researchers are focused on, either. At the symposium, we also heard great presentations discussing the ways that sea turtle conservation can be assisted through new technology, or by unconventional research methods. Some biologists have experimented with GPS-tracking decoy eggs to help track poachers, as well as beach surveillance using drones with infrared capabilities. Scientists with Disney even trained a dog to find recently-laid sea turtle nests in nearly 30 seconds flat!
In Florida, university biologists are working to identify and remove beach debris from destroyed boats or abandoned piers — wooden debris and gutted structures left for decades create hazards for nesting female turtles and new hatchlings. Additionally, light pollution contributes to strandings for adult and hatchling sea turtles alike, so state agencies like the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are working to spread the word about wildlife-friendly lighting in coastal communities.
Sea turtle conservation, unlike that of many endangered species, is truly a worldwide effort. Sea turtle research, management, and conservation must remain global in scale to create and sustain meaningful change. It is obvious that we cannot focus only on one threat like protecting nesting beaches or preventing bycatch mortality, if we intend to save sea turtles. But don’t let a global challenge prevent you from taking local action. The diversity and breadth of sea turtle research and conservation just goes to show that every little bit does count — especially when the future of some of the Earth’s most incredible, resilient and ancient species is concerned. It is remarkable and heartening to know that many thousands of volunteers are committed to helping sea turtles wherever they occur. Sea turtles have been around for more than 110 million years and it will continue to take sustained global cooperation to ensure that they are able to live on into the future.
- Heather and Elizabeth
