The population of giant sea turtles in the Western Pacific is declining. The giant sea turtles — also known as leatherback turtles — are in trouble thanks to the state of their nesting beaches.
If the beaches are unavailable or contaminated or allow too much human wandering, the eggs may be in danger. Female turtles are in danger from fishing nets, and may strangle themselves on their way to nest. Many eggs that are being laid just don’t hatch for one reason or another. Over-fishing, poaching, and pollution have all been blamed for the decline in leatherback populations in Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua, and the Solomon Islands.
In the 1980s, there were nearly one hundred thousand giant sea turtles in the Western Pacific. These days, there are barely five thousand.
Leatherback turtles are the world’s largest turtles, and have been around for millions of years. They have gone through several cycles of near-extinction and repopulation.
Experts from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) believe that small and relatively inexpensive steps can make a big difference for the giant turtles.
- Restrict the use of fishing nets at nesting areas — this will protect female turtles from strangling on their way to shore, and help baby turtles safely leave the beaches.
- Protect nesting beaches from pollution and human interference.
- Designate more beaches as turtle nesting areas and keep them free of humans and fishing efforts.
- Protect hatchlings from fishing nets.
- Increase government funding for conservation projects.
- Increase other funding for conservation projects — like money from private donations, conservation groups, and other nations.
Malaysian scientists suggested that the giant sea turtles could be cloned, but NOAA experts hope the local government will focus on more immediate solutions.
There is hope for the giant sea turtles — NOAA experts believe the population can recover within thirty years.