For over 100 million years Sea Turtles have roamed the oceans, providing a vital link in marine and shoreline ecosystems. From leatherbacks to loggerheads, six of the seven species of sea turtles are threatened or endangered at the hand of humans. Sadly, the fact is that they face many dangers as they travel the seas — including accidental capture and entanglement in fishing gear (also known as bycatch), the loss of nesting and feeding sites to coastal development, intentional hunting (poaching), and ocean pollution.
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service has worked in conjunction with numerous partners to identify and resolve many of the man made threats to the sea turtles and their survival. From commercial shrimping trawlers to the University of Texas, researchers are devising workable solutions to the threat of entanglement in nets and the effects of pollutants on the turtles themselves.
On a recent sunny morning Ben Higgins returned 28 loggerhead turtles to the coastline of Florida for release. These 3 year old turtles were hatched on Brevard County beaches and have been used in several research trials furthering our understanding of man’s impact on the species.
For more information on Sea Turtles and how you can get involved in saving these gentle creatures go to:
http://www.seeturtles.org/43/sea-turtle-facts.html
http://www.conserveturtles.org/
