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A Story of Resilience: The Green Sea Turtle

 

Picture this: A starry moonlit night filled with nothing but the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore.  

But under the cover of night, a quiet liveliness unfolds as female turtles come ashore to lay over 100 eggs then slip back to sea as quietly as they arrived.  

For the green sea turtle this is a tale as old as time. But as human impact grows and development accelerates, the future of these ancient giants hangs in the balance.  

A STORY OF RESILIENCE

The largest of the hard-shelled sea turtles, green turtles face a fight for survival from the moment they hatch. As hatchlings emerging from their shells, they make the perilous trek to the ocean, dodging predators every step of the way.  

For those that make it into the ocean, a lifelong journey of migrating begins. Traveling between the coastal tropical waters where they feed and the nesting beaches where they return, these turtles have only instinct to guide them.  

Fun fact: Sea turtles use the Earth’s magnetic field to guide them as well as the direction of ocean waves!  

A LEGACY UNDER THREAT

Historically hunted for their fat, meat, and eggs, green turtle populations were decimated. Despite their endangered status and protective regulations introduced over the last century, in some regions they are still hunted, and their eggs continue to be harvested.  

But hunting isn’t their only concern as they navigate the seas. Plastic pollution litters their habitat and is often mistaken for food. Coastal development and rising sea levels destroy their nesting sites. Light from cities also confuses hatchlings and can lead them to move away from the ocean instead of toward it.  

Bycatch also remains a primary threat to green turtles worldwide. Often unintentionally caught in various types of fishing gear – like gillnets, longlines, and trawl nets – these entanglements can lead to injury, drowning, and death.  

Yet, these turtles are nothing if not resilient.  

HOW WE CAN HELP

While there are conservation efforts in place to protect the green turtle, they still need our help. Green turtles can’t fight plastic pollution, climate change, or habitat loss – but we can.  

Oceana campaigns to protect marine species by tackling plastic pollution at the source, safeguarding critical habitats, promoting responsible fishing, and ending the use of indiscriminate fishing gear that harms vulnerable wildlife like green turtles. We’ve made great strides, but our work is far from being done.  

You can join Oceana in creating a world with healthy and abundant oceans, teeming with life. Every action – big or small – makes a difference.  

Learn more about Oceana’s campaigns to restore the world’s oceans.