7 Threats to Sea Turtles + Ways You can Help [Visuals]

Discover the threats, but also, the simple ways you can make a difference in the lives of sea turtles every day! Our resilient ocean friends need our support to ensure they flourish for future generations.

3 minutes

Coastal Development and Tourism

Development on the coast can affect sea turtles in many ways. Lights can deter nesting turtles and attract hatchlings, beach armoring and construction prevents nesting, and with development comes pollution. Learn more about this how coastal development and tourism threatens sea turtles in the visual below:

Ocean Pollution

Sea turtles are vulnerable to ocean pollution at all stages of life, from eggs to hatchlings to juveniles to adults. Pollutants include things like toxic metals, pcb’s, petroleum products, and agricultural and industrial runoff of contaminants such as fertilizers, chemicals, nutrients, and untreated waste. Learn more about how pollution affects sea turtles in the visual below:

Consumption of Turtle Eggs and Meat

One of the top threats to sea turtles is consumption of their eggs and meat. In most places, consuming sea turtles or their eggs is illegal but a thriving black market exists around the world due to the belief that their eggs are aphrodisiacs. Learn more about this threat in the visual below:

Entanglement in Fishing Gear

One of the biggest threats to sea turtles is getting caught in fishing gear. In one study, an estimated 2.5 million turtles were caught in fisheries around the world over a 20 year period. Learn more about this threat in the visual below:

Turtleshell Trade

Hawksbill turtles are considered by many to be the most beautiful of sea turtles. Unfortunately this beauty is also the primary reason they are critically endangered as their shells are used to make jewelry and other products. Learn more about hawksbills in the visual below:

Climate Change

Did you know that climate change poses a significant threat to sea turtles? Rising sea levels are submerging nesting beaches, warmer waters are damaging coral reefs, and hotter sand is altering their sex ratios. Learn more in the visual below:

Plastic Pollution

Plastic can affect sea turtles at all life stages. Plastic on the beach can increase the sand temperature which impacts the sex ratio of sea turtles eggs in a nest. Hatchlings on the beach can become trapped in plastic litter as they make their way to the ocean. Juvenile and adult sea turtles can mistake plastic for food, leading to potential blockages in their digestive system which may prevent them from eating. Learn more about how plastic impacts sea turtles in the visual below:

HOW TO HELP SAVE SEA TURTLES

Sea turtles need a lot of help & there are many things you can do to help them in your daily life! Learn about some of the ways to protect sea turtles and then share with others. Read more in detail about each way here

Just say NO to plastics!
Reduce your carbon footprint!
Choose responsibly caught seafood.
Don’t buy souvenirs or other items made from critically endangered hawksbill shell.
Leave No Trace.
Go see them!
Turtles dig the dark!
Choose sunscreen carefully.
Use your voice!
Donate to a worthy cause.
Safe boating!
Turtle friendly swimming.
Safe fishing.