Did you know that most species of sea turtles are currently endangered? Sea turtles have been traveling the lengths of the oceans for over 100 million years as one of the ecosystems most well-known engineers. All over the world, thousands of sea turtles are dying every day due to illegal trafficking, fishing nets, loss of foraging grounds and plastic debris found in the ocean. Perhaps you have heard about the recent ban on plastic straws that is working its way around the world? This is largely due to a YouTube video gone viral of a helpless sea turtle who had a calcified straw lodged so deep in its nasal cavity that marine advocates could hardly dislodge. According to the cleanup crews associated with the Ocean Conservancy,“Straws were ranked the seventh most common piece of trash collected in 2017 on global beaches by volunteer cleanup crews.”

It is a well-known fact, that the life of a sea turtle can range from just moments to hundreds of years, but not enough of them are getting that chance in today’s world. When sea turtles are not migrating through the oceans they are trying to find the right beach to build their nest and ensure their future hatchlings have that chance. With each sea turtle laying 80-120 eggs twice a nesting season, only 1 in 1,000 of those hatchlings will make it to adulthood. Humans do not make the life of these mysterious creatures an easy one, but there are steps we all can take to limit the amount of damage we are currently doing to their environment.

What you can do to help

  • Turn off lights visible on nesting beaches. Lighting (especially artificial) can cause hatchlings to become disoriented and nesting turtles to find a less-than optimal nesting spot to deposit her eggs.
  • Cut down on the amount of trash you produce and clean up any trash you see on the beaches
  • BE AWARE of sea turtles and their nesting areas. If you encounter an area at the beach with wooden stakes and flagging tape, stay away…it is most likely a sea turtle nest.
  • Although hatchling may look cute, do not disturb them as they make their way home.
  • Stay alert when boating
  • Don’t let go of those balloons at the beach, there is a chance they will end up in the belly of a sea turtle.
  • Volunteer to help with local beach clean up
  • Keep animals and children away from designated sea turtle nest areas
  • Refrain from throwing fish remains and bait in the water. Sea turtles will often mistake the area for a feeding ground and become susceptible to capture or entanglement in fishing gear.

Presco Products in Action

Photo Credit: Bernie B. Chitwood

We at Presco are proud to see our products assisting in the conservation and safety of sea turtle nests along the coastlines. Roll flagging is used to surround the area of an active sea turtle nest.  Presco tapes barricade the area to keep people from stepping on the hatchlings. Make sure to keep an eye out for our brightly colored flagging tapes while walking the beaches this year.

 

It is with great pleasure, that the Presco Marketing Team announces the adoption of “Scooter,” the green turtle, on August 20, 2018! We look forward to watching him travel the great Oceans for many years to come! For more information on how to adopt your very own turtle you can visit the Sea Turtle Conservancy website here.