Marine turtles are some of the planet?s oldest animals. Today , there are 7 species of marine turtles , one of which can be found residing in Gulf waters the Hawksbill turtle.  Unfortunately this turtle species is critically endangered and it is the goal of EWS-WWF?s Marine Turtle Conservation Project to conduct research to better understand their survival needs.

Conserving marine turtles is important because of their role in the delicate marine ecosystem. However, they face many threats and within the last century , more than 80% of the Hawksbill turtle population has disappeared. This now means they are critically endangered and face extinction.

Some of the threats Hawksbill turtles face:

1.       Coastal development

2.       Accidentally being caught in fishing nets and by fishing hooks

3.       Climate Change affecting coral reefs and sea temperatures

4.       Not enough suitable habitat for turtles to nest and forage

5.       Plastic waste in the ocean

6.       Poaching

Aside from threats caused by humans , turtles also face their own survival struggle. Once they leave the nest they face predators on land , and if they survive and make it to the ocean, they then face a whole new set of threats such as sharks and dolphins. It is estimated that only 2 out of 1000 hatchings survive into adulthood and breeding age.

EWS-WWF?s Marine Turtle Conservation Project is studying the migration routes and feeding grounds of Hawksbill turtles in order to better understand their conservation and survival needs. Since 2010 , the EWS-WWF turtle team has been tagging turtles with small satellite transmitters that send information on the turtles? travels.This allows them to identify popular foraging sites for turtles, which need extra measures for protection. So far, 75 turtles have been tagged.

How can we help?

Marine turtles tend to lay eggs on the beach between April-June. There are many things we can do to encourage turtles to nest while enjoying beach or water activites .

a)      Do keep a close watch on any turtles while on a boat, as it is quite common for boats to strike turtles accidentally , leading to their injury or death.

b)      Do keep your distance if you see any turtle , they tend to get startled if humans are around.

c)       Do walk away if turtle starts showing signs of fear such as running away quickly or swimming in distressed manner.

d)      Don?t leave any litter on beaches , as turtles can sometimes mistake trash for food such as jellyfish and this can be very harmful for them.

e)       Do keep any pets (such as dogs) away from beaches during these months , as they can startle turtles or even eat eggs or baby turtle.

f)       Do keep beach lighting low or off , as artificial lighting can confuse turtles. Also , do not photograph turtles with flash photography.

g)      Don?t drive on sandy beaches which could crush turtle eggs and scare turtles away.

Now time for some really interesting and lesser known facts of turtles:

1.       Marine turtles can live upto 80-00 years.

2.       The temperature of the nest determines the gender of developing eggs. Warm nests produce more female while cooler nests produce more males.

3.       The vision of a marine turtle is much better underwater than on land.

4.       A marine turtle can go without eating for several months while travelling to and from feeding grounds.

5.       Marine turtles do not sleep like humans. They slow down and reduce activity to ?rest mode? wit their eyes closed. However they are still awake enough to detect when they need oxygen and that?s when they resurface to breathe.

 Source :The Young Vision Magazine-May Issue