Sea turtles worth saving

Sea turtles have always been a local favorite and it’s no secret that these majestic sea creatures are at risk of extinction. Studies have shown that both global warming and the degradation of nesting beaches contribute to the number of “false crawls” — abandoned nest attempts — experienced by nesting mothers and creates an unbalanced ratio of male to females.

Because of anthropogenic activities like coastal armoring, urbanization, and artificial lighting, five out of seven turtle species are endangered and only one in a thousand hatchlings survive to adulthood. Turtle eggs are coveted for their economic and nutritional value by Third World countries, but they aren’t the only ones who rely strongly on these eggs.

Natural predators harvest these eggs as well, and the demanding competition results in nearly 100 percent of leatherback egg population being harvested; and this is only the beginning of the hatchlings’ struggle. When the eggs finally do hatch, artificial lighting becomes another major threat as turtles confuse the lighting from urbanized neighborhoods and cities with moonlight, causing them to crawl inland and dehydrate.These shocking statistics are slowly encouraging the public to do more to help.

Florida is establishing model lighting ordinances to decrease the interference of natural lighting and have asked residents to tint their windows or report nesting finds so they can be relocated, and in Malaysia, turtle camps have been set up not only save the hatchling, but raise awareness of the consequences of overharvesting. You can contribute, too, by visiting www.worldwildlife.org/species/sea-turtle where you can donate, adopt a sea turtle, or find out more information about sea turtles and the types of projects the World Wildlife Fund is working on. Together we can take that extra step to make a difference!

Danielle Brown

Hilo High School