Sea Turtle Welfare and Conservation

All seven sea turtle species are endangered or critically endangered. They face threats from fishing bycatch, plastic ingestion, beach development, and climate change affecting nesting beaches.

Key Facts

Sea turtles have survived for over 100 million years but all species are now threatened
Leatherback turtles can mistake plastic bags for jellyfish - their primary prey
Rising sand temperatures from climate change are feminising sea turtle hatchlings
Loggerhead turtles killed as fishing bycatch number in the tens of thousands annually
Female sea turtles return to the beach where they hatched to nest - sometimes travelling thousands of miles

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtle welfare is compromised by multiple human activities. Trawl and longline bycatch causes drowning for animals that must surface to breathe. Plastic ingestion causes intestinal blockages, buoyancy problems, and starvation. Beach lighting disrupts hatchling orientation, causing them to move inland rather than to the sea where they die from dehydration or predation. Boat strike causes traumatic injury. Nesting beach disturbance causes females to abort nesting attempts. Climate change is shifting sex ratios toward near-100% female in some populations.

What You Can Do

Support Turtle Excluder Device (TED) requirements in all trawl fisheries
Reduce plastic use to protect sea turtles from ingestion risk
Choose responsible beach tourism that avoids disturbing nesting areas at night
Support the Sea Turtle Conservancy and Oceana campaigns
Back beach lighting ordinances that require turtle-safe red lights instead of white