How to Help Save Endangered Sea Turtles
Sea turtles have roamed the oceans for millions of years, playing a key part in keeping marine life in balance. Today, they face serious threats both in England and abroad, from pollution to habitat loss. Whether you live near the coast or miles inland, your choices impact their survival.
Support Seagrass Meadow Restoration
Seagrass meadows are critical to sea turtles, especially young green turtles, which feed on this underwater grass. In the UK, these habitats have shrunk due to pollution, anchor damage, and development.
Advanced Mooring Systems makes boat anchor alternatives to protect seagrass beds and turtles. Anglers can invest in monomaster (a small device to store fishing line that unlike conventional bins, does not encourage birds to nest and also get tangled).
Avoid Single-Use Plastics
Plastic pollution remains one of the greatest dangers to sea turtles. Turtles often mistake plastic bags and packaging for jellyfish or other prey, leading to fatal blockages.
Swap single-use plastics for reusable bags, bottles, and containers. Always recycle packaging when you can, and choose plastic-free options at the shops.
Take Part in Beach Cleans
Rubbish left on beaches washes into the sea and poses choking hazards for turtles and other marine life. Join local beach cleans throughout the year. Take a litter bag whenever you visit the beach. Even small clean-ups make a big difference for nesting sites and feeding grounds.
This photo by Jordi Chias highlights issues of ghost fishing waste, after he untangled a sea turtle trapped in fishing net.
Never Release Balloons Outdoors
Balloons released at events or parties don’t just disappear; they end up in the sea or countryside. Sea turtles can easily mistake popped balloons for food, which can block their digestive systems. Read our post on reasons to avoid releasing balloons (with zero waste alternatives).
Stop Light Pollution
Beachfront lighting disrupts nesting turtles and confuses hatchlings as they make their first trip to the sea. If you live near a coast, keep outside lights dim and shielded, especially during nesting season. Encourage businesses and councils to use wildlife-friendly lighting.
Never buy Tortoiseshell Souvenirs
Once used in jewellery and trinkets, tortoiseshell (from the hawksbill sea turtle) is now illegal worldwide. Don’t buy any items made from real turtle shell, whether at home or abroad. Look for certified wildlife-friendly souvenirs, and report any illegal wildlife products to authorities.
Help Tackle Oil Pollution
Oil spills and leaks poison sea turtle feeding grounds and nesting beaches. Support charities working to prevent and clean up oil pollution, both in the UK and overseas. If you own a boat, always use proper refuelling techniques and dispose of oil and fuel responsibly. Read our post for sustainable sailors.
Books to Learn More about Sea Turtles
My Life with Sea Turtles is a book filled with wonder for the natural world, a captivating tale of one of the oldest living creatures on earth, alongside a female scientist’s fight to save their future.
In 2015, a team of researchers carefully removed a plastic straw from a sea turtle’s nostril, off the coast of Costa Rica.
This disturbing incident (captured on video) went viral and lead to corporate straw bans around the world. In this book, the marine biologist behind the camera recounts her own life spent studying and protecting sea turtles.
From the time she was a young girl, the author was determined to become a marine biologist and study the marine world.
The author shares how she went from a small grey town on the edge of industry, to the lush coastline of Costa Rica, where she fell in love with the local environment and its famous residents: sea turtles.
Figgener describes patrolling the beach at night, swimming with turtles in the open ocean, watching tiny turtles emerge from sandy nests and risking her life during tropical storms.
We learn of her experience as a woman in the male-dominated conservation space, where surprisingly at times she struggles to be taken seriously.
Through discovering the fascinating science of sea turtles (and the threats they face today), readers will be inspired to live their own lives differently, to ensure survival of these magnificent creatures.
Christine Figgener was born in Haltern am See and grew up in Germany’s industrial Ruhr valley. After studying biology, she earned a PhD in marine biology from Texas University and has lived and worked in Costa Rica since 2007, researching sea turtles and fighting for their protection.
Yoshi Sea Turtle is the true story of a loggerhead turtle who was born in Australia then swan across an ocean filled with sharks and seahorses to only land in a fishing net. Rescued by a passing fisherman, she was rehabbed (and tagged).
Then released to make a record-breaking swim across the Indian Ocean to the beach where she hatched to lay her eggs. Written by a record-breaking human swimmer, this is the tale of a sea turtle who swam the longest distance of any animal, in recorded history.
Of Time and Turtles is a book on how we can save the planet, by learning from one of the most ancient creatures. When naturalist Sy Montgomery and wildlife artist Matt Peterson arrive at Turtle Rescue League, they are greeted by hundreds of turtles, recovering from injury and illness.
Endangered by cars and highways, pollution and poaches (some wounds so severe they were dismissed by vets as fatal), all these creatures are given a second chance of life, by the founder’s motto: never give up on a turtle.
Why do turtles inspire such devotion? Ancient and unhurried, these long-lived majestic creatures that go back to the times of dinosaurs sometimes live to 200 years old. Others spend months buried under cold winter water.
In pursuit of answers, the authors immerse themselves in the world of protecting turtle nests, incubating eggs, rescuing sea turtles and releasing hatchlings back to their homes in the world.
You’ll meet the snapping turtle Fire Chief, on his astonishing journey, as he battles against injuries incurred by a truck. This is a hopeful book on how we can learn from turtles, as the antidote to our frenzied world. Slow down – and slip into turtle time!
