Happy World Turtle Day Today May 23

You have probably heard all the news about turtles and marine debris, turtles eating straws, turtles being caught in gill nets, turtles eating plastic. Why are turtles so important that there is so much fuss about them? Part of it is biodiversity and the part is the of the seven species of turtles, 6 of them are endangered. Over the last 30 years since they have been declared endangered, they still have not recovered enough and in fact some are in decline.

Sorry to say, that due to man, turtles have in some places died off. Fishing by-catch, loss of habitat, climate change, plastic ingestion, poaching, ghost net entanglement, beach erosion, not place to nest, oil spills, pollution and overall beach activities .

Turtles are an indictor about the health of our oceans and they help to keep the oceans healthy. They eat seagrass, which keeps seagrass under control and keeps the ocean floor healthy, the flow of nutrients going.. which affects the coral reef environment and food chain healthy.

The way the turtles nest on the beach also is advantageous to the eco-system. Nesting turtles leave nutrients behind in the form of their breeching the beach and unhatched eggs. Eggs have nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium all which are important to beach vegetation and food. 

They eat jellyfish. If you have ever been stung by a jellyfish, you can thank turtles for keeping them in check. Not only that, keeping jellyfish in check, helps the overall fish population, as jellyfish eat fish larvae.

They are a food source for other marine life. Those barnacle and green algae growing on their shell, provide food for other fish.

It is not just Sea Turtles:  The desert tortoise populations in California, Nevada, and southern Utah declined 37 percent. 61 percent of the 356 turtles species have become extinct or threatened in the modern era.

What would ocean life (and ours) be like if no turtles. Pretty much a sea full of seaweed and no fish. Interesting article from National Geographic on Why The World Won’t Be The Same Without Turtles.

Who doesn’t love a turtle, this lovable harmless animals in Native American symbolism represents Mother Earth. A Turtle symbol means good health and long life. The shell means perseverance and protection. Even more reason to save turtles.

Resources

• Oceana
• San Diego Turtles 
• Bonaire Turtles
• Conserve Turtles 
• See Turtles 
• www.SeaTurtles.org
• Recent news: Police Raid What May Be Europe’s Biggest Illegal Turtle Farm.
• Turtles’ absence from Nicaraguan stronghold raises alarm for future
• Red Tide Episode Kills Record Number of Turtles