Pacific Green Sea Turtle - Natalie Weis

The Pacific Green Sea Turtle

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/green-sea-turtle/#green-sea-turtle-coral.jpg

What is the Green Sea Turtle?

          The Pacific Green Sea Turtle, scientifically known as Chelonia mydas, is the largest of the sea turtle species.  Adults can grow larger than 1 meter in length and over 100kg in weight.  Distinguishing features of the green turtle are its smooth outer shell with four sets of lateral scutes, as well as its coarsely serrated lower jaw in correspondence to the ridges on the inner upper jaw.  It also uniquely only has a single pair of prefrontal scales.

Geographic and Population Changes

http://www.animalfactguide.com/animal-facts/green-turtle/

          Green turtles are most commonly found in tropical and subtropical waters on coastline beaches.  Green sea turtles thrive in habitats of algae and plentiful sea grass.  While they are native to the Indian, Atlantic, Pacific oceans and the Mediterranean sea, they are also considered to be a cosmopolitan species in which they settle on beaches of over 140 countries.  Nesting populations can range from 75-200 hatchlings laid at a time, however approximately 99% of eggs make it to hatching, and only 1% of hatchlings survive to sexual maturity. (http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/green.html)

Listing Date / Type of Listing
Type of Listing: The green turtled is considered "threatened" under the ESA, however the population nesting on the Pacific coast of Mexico is considered "endangered."
Listing Date: January 12, 1998
Last Reviewed: August 22, 2007

Causes of Endangerment and Continuous Threats
          The original cause of green turtle endangerment was rooted from commercial overexploitation and other hunting purposes as well as habitat loss and degradation from human activity.  Legal and illegal harvest continue to be a main cause of a decline in the turtle population.
           Continuous threats to the green turtle population come from direct as well as some indirect impacts toward the species.  Indirect impacts include that of the lack of knowledge regarding green turtle ecology by the communities of pacific islands.  This lack of knowledge can indirectly effect the life-potential of turtles because humans assume that they are doing better than they really are, which takes away a sense of urgency and importance of preservation that should be instilled.  One of the biggest threats that turtles face is the direct impact of harvesting by humans.  Historically, turtles have been a source of food for the inhabitants of Pacific islands, which leads to a severe over-harvest.  While harvest is the largest problem, other major problems stem from habitat loss in response to quick human expansion and an increase in urbanization and tourist attractions.  Toxins omitted from daily-use substances and solutions used by humans also cause harm to sea turtles as it releases deadly chemicals that ultimately can decrease the health of turtles when in contact.  Amongst the main threats, distant-water fisheries are also a cause of potential harm due to incidental capturing of turtle.
          While this may not be considered a threat to the pre-existing turtle population, a major threat to the growth of the turtle population is the harvesting of turtle eggs before hatching or freshly hatched turtles by not only humans, but other preying animals such as wild dogs, dingos, foxes, weasels, raccoons, and the most commonly known, seabirds. (http://animals.mom.me/list-predators-baby-sea-turtles-8011.html)

Recovery Plan
          The recovery plan is based on allowing the ability for the green sea turtle population to increase steadily.  Strategies are as follows:
1) Increase of education and law enforcement to stop the direct harvest of turtles and hatchlings

http://www.turtles.org/99summs.htm
Example of fibropapillomas

2) Elimination of harmful fibropapillomas (benign tumors found in sea turtles)
3) Prevention of commercial and artisanal incidental harvest by fisheries
4) Gathering of a more accurate census regarding accurate population size and status
5) Analyzing DNA to determine stock home ranges
6) Support of conservation and biological management efforts in the U.S. as well as corresponding countries
7) Identification and protection of main areas for nesting and foraging
8) Prevent indirect effects of human development on sea turtle habitats
9) Controlling foreign predation of eggs and hatchlings by other organisms
For more info and details on the recovery plan: https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/981201e.pdf

What Can You Do?
          It's often underestimated the amount of things an average community can do to help prevent further endangerment of sea turtles.  Here are a few simple things that can make a huge difference:
1) Eliminate lights that can be seen from beaches.  Baby hatchlings find there way to the ocean by following moonlight and often mistake lights from the inland as the moon.  They follow the lights and die because they cannot find their way to the beach!  As long as the only strong light they see is the moon, their success rate for reaching the ocean can be improved significantly.

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140414-ocean-garbage-patch-plastic-pacific-debris/

2)  Reduce production and disposing of excess garbage that contaminates the beaches.  A common cause of incidental harming of sea turtles revolves largely around waste such as plastic bags, balloons, fishing lines, cigarette butts etc.  Items like these float into the ocean and can accidentally be ingested by sea turtles affecting their internal health.
3) Avoid intruding on nesting/hatching sites.  Knowing where nesting sites is important to allowing them optimal conditions for hatching.  Disturbances such as overactivity in an area and light pollution can cause harm to the nesting process of hatchlings and affect their ability for survival.
4) Eliminate harmful, unnecessary chemicals from everyday uses.  Solutions used for lawn care and even home-cleaning often contain toxic chemicals that get disposed and washed into the ocean killing off plants and animals.  Biodegradable solutions are a great alternative to avoid contaminating the ocean.
5) Volunteering for organizations such as the Surfrider Foundation are a great opportunity to get involved in cleaning up beaches and promoting a healthier environment for wildlife, and in this case, sea turtles!
(http://www.defenders.org/sites/default/files/publications/five-things-you-can-do-to-save-sea-turtles.pdf)