Threats to sea turtles

The biggest threats to sea turtles include:

  • being hunted for their eggs, meat, and shells
  • being caught in fishing nets and on fishing lines, and then drowining
  • consuming plastic 
    • This is especially dangerous because plastic can tear up the digestive tract and block food from entering the stomach and intestines. 
  • pollutants in the ocean
  • increased development of coastal areas, which endangers their nesting grounds and confuses hatchlings
I took a long time choosing the pictures to put on this page. I think it is important to realize the scale of what is happening to sea turtles, which is why I chose the following pictures.

I left out the bloody ones. If you want to see those, just google "sea turtle hunting."


After an oil spill

Tracks of hatchlings that were confused by street lights and
lights from beachfront hotels. They didn't know which way to go.

These disoriented hatchlings are crawling towards a street
light instead of towards the ocean.

Fibropapilloma is a tumor-causing virus that threatens green sea turtles. The origin of the virus
is uncertain; however, we do know that turtles who live in polluted waters are more likely to be infected.
Fortunately, with surgery, the turtles can recover. 


These people are gathering sea turtle eggs for food

This turtle was accidentally caught in a fishing net and drowned.

This turtle was found dead on the beach. Her stomach was full of plastic.

All of this plastic was found inside the stomach of one female sea turtle.
The hungry turtle kept eating plastic she thought was food,
and eventually starved to death.


Sea turtle fishermen and their catch


These turtles were going to be used as decorations. Fortunately
 the perpetrators were caught.


Chinese poachers harvested these turtles. Most of the turtles were dead by
the time the poachers were apprehended.


A female leatherback and her eggs, all waiting to be eaten.


Items made from hawksbill shells

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