Threats to Sea Turtles

Sea Turtles and Climate Change

The following effects of climate change will have critical implications for sea turtles:

Severe Storms

More severe storms, such as hurricanes and tropical cyclones, could increase beach erosion rates, endangering sea turtle nesting habitat. Often  severe storms could increase the chance that sea turtle nests will flood, decreasing nesting success rates.

Hotter Sands

The sex of sea turtle hatchlings is influenced by the temperature of the sand in which the eggs develop. Climate change can cause increased temperature. Higher temperatures cause the sand to heat up and lead to a higher proportion of female to male hatchlings. One study concluded that it is likely that southern populations of turtles in the U.S. will become ultra-biased towards female populations if temperatures increase by even 2º F.

Sea Level Rise

As climate change melts ice and warms the oceans, sea levels rise. Sea level rise for the end of the 21st century ranges from 0.5 to 2 feet. Even a small rise in sea level could result in a large loss of beach nesting habitats..

Changing Currents

Climate change is altering ocean currents, which are the highways that sea turtles use for migration. With changes in ocean circulation, sea turtles may have to alter their movements and possibly shift their range and nesting timing.

Other Threats to Sea Turtles

Along with fishing gear and climate change, there are numerous human activity  threats to sea turtles. These threats include coastal development, pollution, direct harvest, invasive species and vessel strikes.

Coastal Development

With the encroachment of hotels, parking lots and housing along nesting beaches, female turtles are forced to use suboptimal nesting habitats. After emerging from their nests at night, newborn hatchlings find their way from nest to sea using the light of the moon.

Artificial lighting, such as street lamps and condo, apartment, or hotel room lights, confuses these hatchlings, sending them landward in the wrong direction. This is a lower chance for survival due to dehydration, exhaustion, predators and automobiles.

Pollution

Solid waste, chemicals and pollutants from human activities enter the ocean, causing injury, illness and even death to sea turtles. The pollution sources range from wastewater discharge released by cruise liners to fishing nets that are lost by fishermen to fertilizer runoff that comes down rivers from farms. This means that even people living in the middle of the United States can have an impact on the health of the oceans and sea turtles.

Thousands of  chemicals contaminate the marine environment, many of which accumulate in the tissues of sea turtles, affecting their locomotion, brain functioning and reproductive success. Sea turtles also consume plastics and marine debris which are harmful to their digestive systems. Scientists believe that there may be a link between exposure to agricultural pollutants and the spread and prevalence of fibropapillomatosis, a disease in sea turtles that causes tumors to grow on the eyes, intestinal tracts, lungs, mouth, heart and other organs.

Plastics

Each year, more than six million tons of trash enters the oceans, with plastics comprising up to 90 percent. Marine trash poses an entanglement and ingestion hazard to turtles, threatening their ability to forage, grow and, ultimately, survive. A study conducted on young loggerhead turtles found that 15 percent of the turtles had ingested large amounts of plastics that blocked their stomach from functioning.

Invasive Species

Invasive species are non-native species of plants, animals or insects that have been introduced into an area where they are not found naturally. They can wreak havoc on native species by competing them for space and food or by acting as predators.

Examples of invasive species include a stowaway barnacle from a ship ballast, a hidden plant seed in the sole of a hiking boot worn on a remote island or a pet iguana released in the wild. For sea turtles, non-native species, such as fire ants, rats, red foxes and domestic dogs, can be very dangerous on the beach, where they dig up nests and eat sea turtle eggs.

Vessel Strikes

Sea turtles cannot breathe under water and their regular ascent to the surface puts sea turtles directly in the path of boats. Commercial and recreational vessels are major turtle hazards, particularly in shipping lanes and during peak tourism months when millions of recreational boaters congregate in coastal areas.

Boat collisions are one of the main identified source of trauma for turtles found stranded and dead on beaches. Injuries from boat propellers include amputated flippers, fractured shells, brain injuries and broken bones. Although not all of these injuries cause immediate death, they may provoke elevated levels of stress or injuries, which ultimately affect a sea turtle’s ability to forage, migrate, escape from predators and reproduce.

It's time to take action

Given the numerous challenges sea turtles face—from the effects of climate change and coastal development to the pervasive threats of pollution and invasive species—it's clear that immediate and sustained efforts are needed to protect these vulnerable creatures. As we continue to address these issues, we must prioritize conservation strategies that mitigate these dangers, ensuring that sea turtles can thrive in our oceans for generations to come. By taking action now, we not only protect sea turtles but also preserve the delicate balance of our marine ecosystems.

Here are some websites with information about sea turtles: 

• NOAA Fisheries: Provides information about sea turtles, including their streamlined bodies, large flippers, and migration patterns. It also explains how the Endangered Species Act of 1973 protects the six species of sea turtles found in U.S. waters. 

• Sea Turtle Conservancy: Provides information about sea turtle conservation. 

• World Wildlife Fund: Provides information about sea turtles, including their cultural significance and tourism value. It also notes that five of the seven species live in tropical and subtropical waters around the world, while the other two have more limited ranges. 

• World Turtle Trust: The World Turtle Trust serves as a link between sea turtle conservation projects around the world and people like you who wish to help them.

• Broward County Sea Turtles: Provides local information about sea turtles in South Florida.

Here are some other facts about sea turtles: 

• The earliest known sea turtle fossils are around 110 million years old. 

• Adult female sea turtles migrate hundreds or thousands of miles each year to lay their eggs on land. 

• Leatherback turtles are among the most migratory animals on Earth, traveling up to 10,000 miles or more each year. 

• Sea turtles are generally slow and awkward on land, and nesting is exhausting work. 

• Only female sea turtles nest, and they usually do so at night. 

• Sand temperature is very important to sea turtles when nesting. 

• Some threats to sea turtle survival include loss of nesting habitat, predation of nests, and human disturbances.