Sea turtles are as old as dinosaurs...but will they make it past this century?

Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) in a cleaning station

Sea turtles are well loved marine organisms known all over the world known as a symbol of freedom and luck. There are 7 species worldwide mostly living in tropical coral reefs including the Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and Olive Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) that can be found in the Philippines. But also the Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) primalry living in the Gulf of Mexico and the Flatback Sea Turtle (Natator depressus) in Australia. Though marine species spending most of their time underwater, sea turtles (Chelonioidea) are reptiles (order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira) and therefore need to surface to breathe. This is why they prefer living in shallow tropical waters with easy access to both food, shelter and surface! These species are migratory and spend most of their lives in the ocean but come ashore periodically to nest or bask.

The origins of sea turtles are mysterious but one thing is sure, they are old. Very old. The oldest proof of turtle existing is from more than 230 million years ago and fossil evidence of a marine turtle goes back to the Late Jurassic (150 million years ago). That is: sea turtles are basically as old as dinosaurs! Or older... They survived 2 mass extinctions and basically lived relatively unbothered for a very very long time on earth. Or that was until very recently...

An alarming decrease of turtle populations

Overloading pressures such as poaching, overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction and climate change are threatening their future and survival... Nearly all species of sea turtles are now issued conservation warnings by the IUCN alerting about the serious risks of extinction unless drastic conservation measures are taken.

2 species, including the Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) are listed critically endangered by the IUCN that is “an observed, estimated, inferred or suspected reduction of at least 80% over the last 10 years or three generations, whichever is the longer.”

The Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is listed endangered by the IUCN meaning “an observed, estimated, inferred or suspected reduction of at least 50% over the last 10 years or three generations."

Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and Olive Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) are listed vulnerable with concerning decreasing populations.

Threats to sea turtles

Fishing industry Despite being listed as protected species almost everywhere in the world and not directly being targeted by the fishing industry, approximately 150 000 sea turtles die annually as a result of bycatch. Long line fishing, trawling, gillnets, along with other unsustainable fishing methods with high bycatch rate are the highest cause of death.

Illegal fishing industry: poaching Sea turtle shells are valuable on the black market and poaching remains much too frequent in Asia.

Marine debris entanglement or ingestion Aside from commonly getting entangled into discarded fishing nets, ropes or other marine debris, Sea turtles are unfortunately prone to ingesting floating plastic and die from not being able to digest it. This is because a floating plastic waste might look like jelly fish, a tasty meal for many species of sea turtles such as the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).

Habitat destruction Sea turtles live in shallow tropical waters and are affected by coastal development and the impact of touristic boom. The removal of seagrass and destruction of coral reefs, their main habitats, represent a critical pressure from them. While they are known to travel very long distances to lay eggs on the beach, going back to the same specific place they were born, they can be surprised to find it looking very different full of resorts and concrete and not suitable at all for nesting. Coastal development has also been favoring overpopulation of stray dogs that preys on sea turtle eggs.

Climate change Climate change is altering ocean currents, which are the migratory highways for sea turtles causing disturbances in their movement. If this wasn't enough, Sea turtles are also affected by change of temperature caused by climate change. Indeed, sex of sea turtle hatchlings is defined by the temperature of the sand in which the eggs develop. Warmer temperature leads to female hatchlings while male requires cooler sand. Climate change might impact sea turtle eggs and lead to a critical lack of males population.

Sea turtles in the Philippines

The Philippines is home to 5 of the 7 sea turtle species in the world: Green, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Leatherback and Olive Ridley. In the Visayas, Green and Hawksbill sea turtles are relatively common sight despite their highly endangered status. Many conservation actions are taken to support their protection and ensure their future and you can help!

What can we all do to protect sea turtles?

✔️ Help keep the beach and ocean free from harmful waste and plastic.

✔️ Be respectful when encountering a sea turtle. Keep a safe distance of 2-3 meters at least, do not feed them, touch them, wake them up, or swim above them. Be extra sensitive when you meet them at a cleaning station. Sea turtles travel long distances and wait in line for their turn for this precious moment, respect their relaxing time. 🥰

✔️ If you witness turtle laying eggs, notify the DENR so that it gets protected until hatching. Many eggs are otherwise collected or eaten by stray dogs. Upon hatching, do not interfere, do not touch the baby turtles, do not move them nor shine lights. The baby turtles need to imprint on the beach and will navigate themselves towards the ocean by following the moonlight.

✔️ Do not support unsustainable fishing methods such as long-line fishing or trawling, that kills hundred thousands of turtles in bycatch every year. Avoid eating fish issued from this.

✔️ Keep educate yourself and others to protect those species and their vital coral reefs and seagrass habitats.