Shell Shock: The Sea Turtle Predicament
Written by: Noah koh
When people think of the #SaveTheTurtles movement in 2019, they most likely remember the VSCO girls, hydro flasks, and metal straws. Indeed, some of these items were synonymous in helping turtles; however, what social media got out of this was a trend, with little regard to the actual purpose of #SaveTheTurtles. Even if the temporary increase of reusable bottles and straws did benefit marine life during the time, are the effects of #SaveTheTurtles still lasting today? Sadly, like most other internet trends, #SaveTheTurtles is simply another relic of the past, with today’s society contributing to the widespread usage of single-use plastic perhaps more than ever, as if a media-wide effort towards such a cause didn’t happen less than decade ago. As a result, numerous sea turtle species have been classified as endangered, and the efforts to save these important creatures dwindle in mainstream media. Thus, it is of upmost importance that sea turtles become the subject of biological aid, again. Here, the sea turtles, its subspecies, and endangerment will be discussed, in pursuit of better treatment for sea turtles in the future.
Sea turtles can be divided into subspecies, most of which being classified by some level of endangerment. Out of the subspecies, the ones under the highest risk of extinction are the hawksbill turtle and green turtles.
Hawksbill turtles can be found in sub-tropic and tropic areas in all the world’s oceans, eating both plants and animals. They are recognized by their beak-like mouths and captivating shell patterns. This unique shell has a high demand in the creation of ornaments, jewelry, and any other human luxury, which is the main cause of the low amounts of hawksbill turtles. Furthermore, recent coastal development and pollution has caused a substantial decrease of this turtle.
A mature hawksbill turtle
Green turtles are another heavily endangered subspecies that can mainly be found in sub-tropic and tropic coasts of the world. They are complete herbivores, primarily predating on green seagrass, which is where they get their name from. Green turtles are largely coastal, and thus lay and hatch their eggs in areas that are likely populated by humans. When turtle eggs hatch, the hatchlings look for the brightest light, usually the open horizon, to find the ocean. Hatchlings in urban areas can mistake bright city lights or artificial lights as the light of the open horizon, leading them to crawl away from the ocean and die. This is more common in green turtles, as they tend to reside near coasts. Other sea turtle subspecies can find and lay eggs in less human-dense areas because they tend to live out deeper in the ocean, and thus are not affected as much by light pollution as green turtles are. Like the hawksbill, they are also endangered because of coastal development and pollution.
A green turtle hatchling
Sea turtles are a necessity in seagrass meadow ecosystems, as they mediate the overgrowth and overpopulation of seagrass. This is especially true with the green turtles, as they only eat plants. Albeit manatees and dugongs facilitate the same role, the former only live in the waters of Central America and West Africa, and the latter only residing in the waters of East Africa to West Australia. Sea turtles, on the other hand, are ubiquitous throughout the oceans in the tropics. Coherently, a loss of sea turtles, especially green turtles, would lead to an increase in seagrass, and an increase in seagrass would skew the balance of nature. Also, like all noninvasive animal species, the sea turtle is needed to maintain a nutrient cycles in an ecosystem. Specific subspecies also have extremely critical roles: the hawksbill eats sponge, an invasive species to coral; leatherbacks (a sea turtle subspecies also at risk) eat jellyfish, controlling the jellyfish population; and green turtles eat much of the seagrass in the ocean as mentioned earlier. Sea turtles and its subspecies are therefore a cornerstone in aquatic habitats.
The current and impending loss of these valuable creatures will not only greatly hurt the underwater ecosystem, but also greatly impact culture. Many Chinese and Hindu mythologies contain sea turtles revolving around some sort of significance. Pop culture also includes many fictional sea turtle characters, including Crush from Finding Nemo and Squirtle from Pokémon. The essence of losing creatures that hold such great impact in our entertainment, and environment should compel humans to work harder towards conserving them.
At the end of the day, albeit many regarded it as a simple trend or joke, #SaveTheTurtle and its practices should be heavily applied today. Reducing single-use plastics and investing in reusable items can actually help improve the wellbeing of turtles. It may seem minor to many, but these small, everyday steps will ultimately benefit aquatic ecosystems. The role of the turtle, and its legacy as one of the oldest aquatic species to date, is far too great to neglect. To reimburse and suppress the damage humans have done and are doing to sea turtles, humans must all make efforts, whether it be big or small. After all, no one would want a future where Squirtle’s real-life origin is just an archaic animal of the past.
Sources:
https://msumadvocate.com/2019/11/11/savetheturtles-from-a-hashtag-to-a-movement/
https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/hawksbill-turtle
https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/green-turtle
https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/animals-we-protect/green-sea-turtle/
