![]() Over the last 200 years, human activities have tipped the scales against the survival of these ancient mariners. WWF's work on sea turtles focuses on five of those species: green, hawksbill, loggerhead, leatherback, and olive ridley. While these highly migratory species periodically come ashore to either bask or nest, sea turtles spend the bulk of their lives in the ocean. EntanglementĮntanglement in fishing nets or ropes can prevent air-breathing animals like sea turtles from swimming to the water’s surface, causing them to drown.Seven different species of sea (or marine) turtles grace our ocean waters, from the shallow seagrass beds of the Indian Ocean, to the colorful reefs of the Coral Triangle and the sandy beaches of the Eastern Pacific. Turtles can mistake plastic bags, balloons, food wrappers, and more for food like jellies. ![]() ![]() In important feeding areas, water currents can concentrate turtles’ food sources with floating debris. Studies have shown higher temperatures are resulting in significantly more female turtles, limiting mate availability later in their life cycle. Sea turtles display temperature-dependent sex determination, meaning temperature of the egg during incubation determines the sex of the baby turtle. Climate Changeįrom sea level rise impacting nesting beaches to warmer water temperatures causing changes in food supply, climate change is already affecting sea turtles. If not treated in time, cold-stunning can be fatal. They can also suffer secondary illness from cold-stunning including abrasions, broken bones and pneumonia. As water temperatures continue to plunge, turtles become cold-stunned, similar to hypothermia in humans. Occasionally, turtles find themselves stuck in the hook-shaped Cape Cod Bay. In the fall, as water temperatures drop, sea turtles must migrate south into warmer water. Sea turtles migrate seasonally to New England to find rich food supplies. ![]() Turtles are ectothermic, meaning their internal body temperature is determined by the water or air around them. Edit and tag your legislators in one of the sample social posts below to show your support! House members’ official Twitter handles for your members of Congress can be found here. ![]() Post on your social accounts in support: Social media is a great tool for reaching legislators to make your voice heard.Call your legislators and ask them to cosponsor and support the House bill, H.R.7918 and S.4432: Use the sample call script below.Find your legislators: You can find the names and contact information of your members of Congress here.To encourage legislators to cosponsor these bills, they need to hear from constituents like YOU about why sea turtle rescue and conservation is important. These bills will help fund recovery and rehabilitation efforts, and help us to continue collecting the data necessary to ensure the survival of these endangered species post-rehabilitation. In June 2022, Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) and Representative Bill Keating (D-MA-9) introduced bill S.4432 and H.R.7918, respectively, to provide institutions like ours the federal funding necessary to treat stranded marine turtles. Sadly, these numbers are expected to rise annually due to climate change, ocean industrialization, and the proliferation of single-use plastics.Īs we continue this critical rescue and rehabilitation work, federal support is needed. In the past decade, the New England Aquarium has treated thousands of Kemp’s ridley, green, and loggerhead sea turtles who experienced cold-stunning, ingested floating debris, faced marine entanglement, and more. ![]()
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