🔎 What’s going on?
COVID-19 lockdown boosts Leatherback Sea Turtle nesting in Thailand and Florida due to the absence of tourists on the beaches.
🐢 Cool, tell me more!
In Thailand, authorities have reported finding the largest number of nests for these rare leatherback sea turtles in two decades - they found 11 nests since November in Phuket. Across the world in Florida, USA researchers from Loggerhead Marinelife Center have reported finding 75 nests on just one stretch of beach! This is a significant increase over last year’s figure. And the best news is, the breeding season for turtles has just begun - which means there is plenty of opportunity for more nests until summer (depending on when COVID19-restrictions get lifted).
Leatherbacks are the world’s largest sea turtles. They mate at sea and females return to beaches during the winter to lay their eggs. After two months, the incubated eggs will hatch. According to researchers, only one in 1000 turtle hatchlings actually survive. Hopefully, with the COVID19 restrictions in place, this could increase the survival rate for these hatchlings.
❓Why should I care?
Leatherback Sea Turtles are currently listed as ‘Vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. This means that globally, the overall population of Leatherbacks is decreasing. This is quite startling, given that as a marine species, they have existed on Earth for the last 100 million years and us humans have only been around for just 200,000 years!
Let’s explore the three main reasons why they are declining:
- Habitat Loss - Sea turtles depend on beaches for nesting. However, beaches nowadays have coastal buildings (such as hotels, restaurants and bars), lots of vehicle traffic, tourists, and discarded plastic waste. All of this has either destroyed or disturbed the turtle nests.
- Fisheries by-catch - Sea turtles are often caught accidentally by fishing nets meant for shrimps and fishes. This is unfortunate as they tend to drown after getting caught.
- Overharvesting and illegal trade of turtle eggs - A controversial egg collection practise exists in countries across Southeast Asia and South America which means that turtle eggs can be collected for food and commercial purposes. Sometimes legally and most times illegally. However, this sometimes also results in adult turtles being killed for food.
🚦 Where do we need to be?
Protecting biodiversity should become an international priority, similar to Climate Crisis and the Paris Agreement. In the meantime, ideally, we should create more Marine Protected Areas (MPA) so sea turtles can flourish without human disruption. The fishing industry should adopt sustainable fishing methods such as pole & line which reduces by-catch.
👤 What can I do about it?
Support conservation efforts of sea turtles, such as this one by WWF.
As a local or tourist, be aware of disturbing local wildlife when visiting beaches. And always take all of your plastic litter with you - don’t leave these on beaches. Turtles tend to mistake them for food which is deadly for them.
Always ensure you always buy sustainable fish where possible, that’s certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.