Transcript Turtles of the World - MarineBioGroupProject

Turtles of the World:
Why do they need to be saved?
Marine Biology
Group B Project
by
Jessica Lyn Kutch
March 19, 2010
Turtles
http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/







Hawksbill
Flatback
Olive Ridley
Kemp’s Ridley
Leatherback
Loggerhead
Green
The images and information on slides 3-16 come from WWF.
Hawksbill Turtle
http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/
 Why is this species important?
Marine turtles fulfill important roles in marine ecosystems
Hawksbill turtles also feed on invertebrates, with a predilection for
sponges. When they dislodge pieces from the surface of the coral, this
provides access to opportunistic reef fish to feed.
Flatback Turtle
http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/
The flatback has a flat body and smooth carapace with upturned
edges. It is also recognized by a single pair of prefrontal scales at
the front of the head, and four pairs of costal scutes on the
carapace.
Not much is known about the flatback, a distinctive species with a
limited range off the northern shores of Australia. Unknown numbers
are reported to be caught as by catch of fishing vessels.
Olive Ridely Turtle
Once slaughtered in the hundreds of thousands for meat and leather, olive ridleys
have yet to recover from centuries of over-exploitation. While the species has a wide
range, the number of important breeding sites is very restricted, so efforts to protect
their major beaches are vital.
The illegal harvest of their eggs in the Central American region continues, and there is
also high mortality of adults due to coastal fisheries that do not yet use Turtle Excluder
Devices (TEDs) in their nets.
WWF is working to protect important olive ridley nesting colonies in India and South
America, and is lobbying for turtle-friendly fishing practices around the world.
http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/
Kemp’s Ridley Turtle

Kemp's ridley turtles are the most endangered of all cheloniids. The species has a
restricted range and nests only along a small stretch of coastline in the Gulf of
Mexico. In the 1940s, more than 100,000 came ashore here in a single day to nest.
By the 1980s, numbers were down to a few hundred nesting females.
Conservation efforts lead by USA and Mexico have been ongoing since the 1970s,
when the nesting beach of Rancho Nuevo was declared a National Reserve.
These efforts have been successful and today there is a female breeding
population of approximately 1,000 individuals.
Although there has been an increase in the number of nests through the 1990s,
since the introduction of Turtle Excluder Devices, shrimp trawling in the region
remains a threat to the Kemp's ridley. The juvenile population of the Kemp's ridley
is also threatened by pollution in the Gulf of Mexico around the mouths of the
Alabama and Mississippi rivers, important development habitats for these animals.

http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/
Leatherback Turtle
The leatherback turtle has survived for more than a hundred million years, but is
now facing extinction. Recent estimates of numbers show that this species is
declining precipitously throughout its range, particularly in the Pacific over the last
twenty years: as few as 2,300 adult females now remain, making the Pacific
leatherback the world's most endangered marine turtle population.
Although Atlantic populations are rather more stable, models predict that they, too,
will decline due to the large numbers of adults being killed accidentally by fishing
fleets. In the Atlantic, the fact that they are widely distributed during the migration
process and that they do not dive very deep increase the risk of interaction of
leatherback turtles with longline fisheries.
http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/
Loggerhead Turtles
 Loggerheads are highly migratory and particularly vulnerable to
accidental capture in the nets and long-lines of the world's
fisheries. Although Turtle Excluder Devices (TED), fitted into
shrimp nets in some countries have lessened the threat, the use of
these devices is not yet mandatory everywhere.
Longline bycatch mitigation trials are also being conducted in
several places across the world, but will they be in time to halt the
decline?
Loggerheads are the most common turtle in the Mediterranean,
nesting on beaches from Greece and Turkey to Israel and Libya.
However, many of their nesting beaches are under threat from
tourist development.
http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/
Green Turtle
This species is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters, but is under threat
everywhere from over-harvesting of both eggs and adults, and from accidental mortality in
the nets and long-lines of fishing fleets. The Mediterranean population is categorized as
Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List.
So called because of the greenish color of their cartilage and the fat deposits around their
internal organs, green turtles are black-brown or greenish yellow in color. They grow up to
1.5 meters long and can reach 200 kg, but individuals from different populations vary widely
in size. The carapace is oval when viewed from above, and the head is relatively small and
blunt.
This species is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters, but is under threat
everywhere from over-harvesting of both eggs and adults, and from accidental mortality in
the nets and long-lines of fishing fleets. The Mediterranean population is categorized as
Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List.
Individuals from the East Pacific are smaller than their counterparts in the Western
Caribbean in a wide range of external measurements, and are particularly dark in color, a
trait that has shown to be genetically influenced.
http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtles/
Maps
Image taken from WWF
Why should they be
protected?
 "In the end, we will conserve only what
we love. We will love only what we
understand. We will understand only
what we are taught."
— Baba Dioum
What are their threats?
 Habitat loss and degradation
 Hunting and egg collection for consumption
 International trade in products such as
tortoiseshell from hawksbill turtles, green turtle
calipee and leather from olive ridley turtles
 Trapped in shrimping operations
 Gill nets and long-line fisheries
 Changing climate and global warming
 Pollution
 Disease
 Natural predators
According to the Marine Turtle Specialist Group, the following are the top threats
and impacts to turtle populations.
http://www.iucn-mtsg.org/hazards/warming.shtml
Fisheries Impacts: Sea turtles virtually everywhere are impacted by fisheries, especially
longlines, gill nets, and trawls. The most severe of these impacts are bycatch mortality, habitat
destruction and food web changes.
Specific Burning Issue Hazards: Coastal gillnets; Driftnets; Bottom trawls; Pelagic longlines;
Pot and trap fisheries; Discarded fishing gear; Seafloor alterations; Food web alterations.
Direct Take: Sea turtles and their eggs are killed by people throughout the world for food, and
for products including oil, leather and shell.
Specific Burning Issue Hazards: Egg take; Take of turtles in-water; Take of nesting females.
Global Warming: Global warming may impact natural sex ratios of hatchlings, will increase the
frequency of extreme weather events, and may increase the likelihood of disease outbreaks for
sea turtles. Global warming will result in loss of nesting beaches, and cause other alterations to
critical sea turtle habitats and basic oceanographic processes.
Specific Burning Issue Hazards: Loss of nesting beach (e.g. sea level rise, extreme
weather); Oceanographic and meteorological changes (e.g. changing currents, ENSO, NAO);
Beach temperature change; Sea temperature change.
http://www.iucn-mtsg.org/hazards/warming.shtml
Coastal Development: Sea turtle habitats are degraded and destroyed by coastal
development. This includes both shoreline and seafloor alterations, such as nesting beach
degradation, seafloor dredging, vessel traffic, construction, and alteration of vegetation.
Specific Burning Issue Hazards: Vessel traffic; Coastal construction (e.g. buildings, roads);
Shoreline alteration (e.g. coastal armoring, sand mining, beach debris); Seafloor alterations
(e.g. dredging, mining); Oil and gas activities; Exotic dune and beach vegetation.
Pollution and Pathogens: Marine pollution, including plastics, discarded fishing gear,
petroleum by-products, and other debris directly impact sea turtles through ingestion and
entanglement. Light pollution disrupts nesting behavior and hatchling orientation, and leads to
hatchling mortality. Chemical pollutants can weaken sea turtles’ immune systems, making them
susceptible to pathogens.
Specific Burning Issue Hazards: Ingestible plastics and Styrofoam; Oil, tar and other
chemicals; Light pollution; Pathogens (e.g. Fibropapilloma); Nutrients and sediments (e.g.
agricultural runoff, sewage).
Information and images taken from http://www.iucn-mtsg.org/hazards/warming.shtml.
How do scientists study it
in the wild?



Studying sea turtles are difficult, at best, to study. Because of the wide variety of variables, compounded by
their existence in the water.
Seaturtle.org uses satellite tracking and analysis to study the turtles in the world and provides resources for
others to do so as well.
http://www.seaturtle.org/STAT.pdf

According to an article in Innovations Report, UK Scientists Lead the Tracking of Atlantic’s Endangered
Sea Turtles. Their work can be followed on seaturtle.org

According to the San Diego Seat Turtles blog, “What researchers do instead, is use large nets, designed
specifically to capture but not harm the sea turtles. And because green sea turtles are endangered and are
protected by the Endangered Species Act, researchers have permits and use special techniques when working
with the turtles. Always on the water and watching the nets, researchers bring the caught turtles into the small
research boat, and then bring the sea turtles onto shore. A typical "exam" done by the scientists includes
weighing and measuring the turtle, taking samples for DNA and contaminant testing, and tagging the turtle so
its movement can be monitored.” The work that they are doing can also be followed on twitter.
(http://twitter.com/SDSeaTurtles)

What efforts are being
done to protect it?
According to Loggerhead Sea Turtle: A Case Study, “Since July 28, 1978 loggerheads have been listed as
threatened throughout their entire range under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (National Research Council
1990, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 1997). The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have developed specific regulations to limit in water and
on shore take respectively as required by the ESA. The term take means to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot,
wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct” (ESA, Section 3:19). With a
permit, individuals are allowed some limited amount of incidental take of loggerheads.”
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has outlawed international trade in sea
turtles and their products. Several countries have developed their own regulations regarding loggerhead
protection. The Bahamas has established a closed season on harvesting adult and subadult turtles and
minimum size restrictions. Costa Rica employs a legal quota of loggerheads that can be taken. Mexico abates
the poaching of eggs and nesting females by conducting beach patrols. When attempting to protect such a
highly migratory animal, it is essential to have international protection efforts (National Research Council 1990).
International agreements are abundant and can probably be found through a google search, some examples
include: the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), and the InterAmerican Convention for the Protection of Sea Turtles (IAC).
Activities

Science/language arts -- write reports. Students from Enchanted Lakes Elementary School
in Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii, created The Hawaiian Sea Turtle with the help of their teacher, Lena
Kanemori, as a part of their site Endangered Species of Hawaii. Your students may use their
Web pages as guides for writing simple reports on other endangered species. You might
consider creating a site about endangered animals that live in your area.

Science -- study sea turtles. Who could know more about sea turtles than the scientists of
Sea World? The Sea World Web site is the perfect place to begin a study of Sea Turtles. When
you have probed scientific facts about the habits, diet, and physiology of sea turtles, visit the
portions of the site at the bottom of the home page that are designed to be more fun.
Elementary students will love the activities A Turtle Tale, which includes a maze, and Follow
That Turtle, a matching activity. Loggerhead Turtle Travels is the place for older students, who
will enjoy the story of "Wrong-Way Corrigan," a sea turtle that had strayed off course and was
rescued, cared for, and released by members of the Sea World staff.

Art -- create a sea turtle postage stamp. Have your students exercise their creative talents
by pretending to be members of a selection committee for postage stamps. Give your students
time to view the sea turtle stamps that are on display at Sea Turtle Postage Stamps of the
World. Then have the students make their own sea turtle stamps. They could use Internet
resources to find pictures of actual sea turtle species to use as models for their designs. When
they have finished, allow them to vote for the best stamps to be "published."
Activities

Science -- role-play a sea turtle. Nothing brings home the message of the sea turtle's fight for
survival better than this EuroTurtle: A Sea Turtle Adventure Game from the EuroTurtle Home
Page. Students toss two coins to determine the course of a female sea turtle that is heading for
the nesting grounds. Along the way, students learn about the many dangers that threaten the
sea turtle and her young. Because the game changes with every toss of the coins, give your
students plenty of time to play. In that way, they will see how often the sea turtles do not get to
the nesting grounds safely.

Language arts -- debate. The Cayman Turtle Farm offers a unique opportunity for older
students to consider whether humans should interfere with the natural course of the lives of
animals, even in an attempt to save them. Give your students time to examine the Web site.
Ask them to share their opinions of the turtle farm. Is it beneficial? Does it have no impact? Or
is its influence negative? Should people be permitted to harvest an endangered animal at all?
Younger students will enjoy an on-line tour of the facility, including a view of the live picture
from the WebCam, which focuses on the turtle pools.

Science -- become a conservationist/activist. The Sea Turtle Restoration Project will serve
as a call to action for high-school students. It identifies ways for people to get involved in the
struggle to save sea turtles. Many of the activities are appropriate for students and could even
be done in the classroom. The sea turtle is only one of many causes your students may elect to
support. Take this opportunity to show them how to be effective, reasonable activists!
Works Cited - Resources
WWF
http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/endangered_species_list/marine_turtl
es/


http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/life_sciences/report-30724.html
http://sandiegoseaturtles.blogspot.com/2009/04/since-sea-turtles-in-san-deigo-bay-dont.html

http://www.nmfs.vt.edu/seaturtlewebsite/protection.php
Additional Readings
Marine Turtle Newsletter
http://www.seaturtle.org/mtn/archives/mtn1
00/mtn100p28.shtml
For Kids
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/education/turtl
es.htm