Save the Leatherback Sea Turtles

The leatherback sea turtle is the largest living turtle and is so distinctive that it is placed in its own separate family, Demochelys coriacea. This turtle reaches up to 6ft. in length and weighs up to 1,300 lbs. The barrel-shaped body is covered with leathery skin. It is the only sea turtle that lacks a hard shell. This turtle also has large front flippers, which allow it to swim for long periods of time and cover great distances. The shell is dark black, blue, or brown and speckled with white dots or patches. The turtles eat soft foods such as jellyfish and tunicates.

Leatherback sea turtles are found all around the globe, from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. This is the most extensive range of any reptile. In the Atlantic leatherback sea turtles are found regularly off the coast of New England, especially Massachusetts and the Gulf of Maine, in Long Island New York waters, and in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as along the shores of Canada, the British Isles, Iceland, Europe, and Spain.

The greatest threat used to be to their eggs, and this threat still exists. There aren’t as many eggs to poach these days, however, because fewer and fewer leatherbacks show up to nest. Scientists have concluded that gill-nets and longline fisheries are to blame. A few years ago, U.S. regulations made the use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) mandatory. Compliance with the TEDs remains a problem. The government needs to strongly bring more awareness of the endangerment of the leatherbacks to these fisheries through education and by placing large fines against the fisheries who are found without the TEDs on their boats. And if it is found that they are still not complying, then maybe we should hit them where it hurts and take away their fishing licenses.

Leatherbacks have been mistaking plastic bags, raw plastic pellets, plastic and Styrofoam, and balloons for their natural food. Ingesting this debris can obstruct the gut, leading to the absorption of toxins, and reduce the absorption of nutrients from their real food. I would like to find out who are the largest producers of balloons and plastic bags in the U.S. I would then write letters and petitions to these producers, inform them of this large cause of death/endangerment to the leatherbacks, and then strongly suggest that they place a picture of the turtle on the product with info below it not to litter but to dispose of the trash properly. I would also like to find out if there are any grants available through the government that would fund a nationwide campaign. I would place large billboard signs alongside busy highways that show a sick or dead leatherback floating in the water polluted by commonly used plastic products like balloons, plastic trash bags, Styrofoam cups, etc. I would gain the attention of the media as well and have commercials on television showing the same polluted scene. These commercials could run on television during high volume water activity seasons like spring and summer, therefore hopefully bringing more awareness to people to not litter and pollute the water with these products while having a good time.

Megan
Taylor Middle School