Sea turtles (Superfamily Chelonioidea) are turtles found in all the world's oceans except the Arctic Ocean. There are seven living species of sea turtles: flatback, green, hawksbill, Kemp's Ridley, leatherback, loggerhead and olive ridley. The East Pacific subpopulation of the green turtle was previously classified as a separate species, the black turtle, but DNA evidence indicates that it is not evolutionarily distinct from the green turtle. All species except the leatherback are in the family Cheloniidae; the leatherback belongs to the family Dermochelyidae and is its only member.
Marine turtles are caught worldwide, despite it being illegal to hunt most of the species in many countries. A great deal of intentional marine turtle harvests worldwide are for the food industry. In many parts of the world, the flesh of sea turtles are considered fine dining. Historically, many coastal communities around the world have depended on sea turtles as a source of protein. Several turtles could be harvested at once and kept alive on their backs for months until needed. The skin of the flippers are also prized for use as shoes and assorted leather-goods. To a much lesser extent, specific species of marine turtles are targeted not for their flesh, but for their shells. Tortoiseshell, a traditional decorative ornamental material used in Japan and China, is derived from the carapace scutes of the hawksbill turtle.
Sea turtles play key roles in two ecosystems that are critical to them as well as to humans—the oceans and beaches/dunes. If sea turtles were to become extinct, the negative impact on beaches and the oceans would potentially be significant.
In the oceans, for example, sea turtles, especially green sea turtles, are one of the very few creatures (manatees are another) that eat a type of vegetation called sea grass that grows on the sea floor. Sea grass must be kept short to remain healthy, and beds of healthy sea grass are essential breeding and development areas for many species of fish and other marine life. A decline or loss of sea grass beds would mean a loss of the marine species that directly depend on the beds, which would trigger a chain reaction and negatively impact marine and human life. When one part of an ecosystem is destroyed, the other parts will follow.
Beaches and dunes are a fragile ecosystem that does not get many nutrients to support its vegetation, which is needed to help prevent erosion. Sea turtles contribute nutrients to dune vegetation from their eggs. Every year, sea turtles lay countless numbers of eggs in beaches during nesting season. Along one twenty-mile (32 km) stretch of beach in Florida alone, for example, more than 150,000 pounds of eggs are laid each year. Nutrients from hatched eggs as well as from eggs that never hatch and from hatchlings that fail to make it into the ocean are all sources of nutrients for dune vegetation. A decline in the number of sea turtles means fewer eggs laid, less nutrients for the sand dunes and its vegetation, and a higher risk for beach erosion.
There is a news from Greenpeace web,
Bhubaneshwar , India — With turtle mortalities due to illegal fishing spiralling out of control, Greenpeace today presented the Orissa government with a clear ‘upper limit’ target for turtle mortality along the coast from Paradip to Chilika. Criticising the government for failing to solve a recurring tragedy, Greenpeace demanded that the funds recently released by the Centre be utilised to undertake effective patrolling to prevent illegal trawling. As of 31st January, 2,970 turtle carcasses have been counted along this stretch of the coast. Greenpeace is challenging the government to reduce the current rate of turtle mortalities by 20%, at the very least until the end of April 2008.“Even though the resources are now available, it is ironic that the turtle toll until January 31 is almost 3000 in the Paradip–Chilika stretch, a dramatic 76% increase from the average of the previous four turtle seasons. While reducing mortality to zero might not be practical, it is high time the Government of Orissa demonstrates its commitment to protecting its turtles, by setting itself, progressively depreciating annual turtle mortality reduction targets. It must start with what is left of this turtle season. This benchmark would enable the Government’s turtle protection efforts to be evaluated in an objective manner” said Sanjiv Gopal, Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace India.
Illegal fishing and especially trawling has resulted in the death of over 100,000 turtles over the last decade. Even as illegal fishing in the Devi area continues unabated, the situation in the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary remains unknown, with no independent verification of official figures possible. Further, the government is not open to joint efforts on monitoring the mortality of turtles in collaboration with conservation groups and NGOs, as this would reveal shocking levels of turtle casualties on the Orissa coast. While the Government has maintained that annual mortalities from the last three seasons has not exceeded 4000, estimates from several independent agencies place this at a range above 10,000 for every season.
Greenpeace has been monitoring the situation in the current turtle season (2007-2008), from November 2007, to ensure that the resources made available to the Department of Forests and Wildlife are utilized appropriately and effectively. From evidence gathered until January 2008, it is clear that inspite of the required resources being made available, the Government of Orissa is once again failing in it’s responsibility to protect the turtles that throng Orissa’s coastal waters, every year from November to May.
The turtle death toll, along the Paradip to Chilika coast, has already crossed 3000 turtles (until January 31, 2008). Illegal fishing in the Devi area, especially trawling, continues unabated. The situation in the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary remains unknown, with no independent verification of official figures possible.
This is greenpeace's act. As a first step, to demonstrate commitment and accountability, towards resources which have been made available to ensure effective patrolling and reduction in the mortalities of turtles from mechanised fisheries and especially trawling, Greenpeace is calling the Government of Orissa and the Department of Forests and Wildlife in particular
• To put in place mechanisms, which would include regular marine patrolling, to ensure that the current rate of mortalities in the Devi region, are reduced.
• By way of an objective evaluation of these efforts, this would imply that the mortalities of Olive Ridley turtles in the devi region does not exceed 3760 for the current season, until April 2008, the current figure until January 2008 being 2970.
• This would mean that the mortality for February, March and April 2008 does not exceed 790 or a drop in mortality by 21%.
As part of it’s ongoing campaign to protect the Olive Ridley Turtles, and the interests of traditional fisher communities, Greenpeace will continue to monitor the situation and await to see how the Government of Orissa responds to this challenge positively, before taking any further action.
Please if you care about conservation of sea turtle, visit greenpeace official website. You can send letter or e-mail to Government of Orissa to support marine conservation and protection for sea turtles. Sea turtles are just not animal, but its are part of our world.
