I cry whenever I see one of the marine litter-animal videos. A juvenile loggerhead turtle was so enmeshed in marine trash- fishing line, it lost one of it’s flippers. Fortunately for the turtle, he was seen by a kayaker, who promptly called the Nature Trust’s wildlife rescue team and the Environment and Resources Authority. This was in Ghajn Tuffieha in Malta. The turtle is resting safely.
This is only one is a series of turtles that have been rescued in Malta. The Mediterranean Sea is an important ‘growing’ area for juvenile loggerhead turtles, who are seriously threatened like all other turtles by humans.
Fishing in general is a serious threat to turtles. The NOAA, said that fishing lines pose a greater threat to turtles than fishing hooks.
- 150,000 turtles of all species killed in shrimp trawls
- 200,000 loggerheads and 50,000 leatherbacks captured, injured or killed by other fishing means.
Turtle Rescues
- In October of 2017 Prince Charles returned a rehabilitated turtle in Malta back to the ocean (Source) The Loggerhead turtle, named Denise had recovered from breathing disorders due to the plastic she had eaten.
- In August of 2017 3 turtles were re-released after being rehabilitated. (Source)
- NOAA says about 350 turtles are stranded in waters around Oahu each year, and only half of those turtles are found alive.
- 91% of the entangled turtles were found dead. They also suffered serious wounds from entanglement, leading to maiming, amputation or choking. Others that survived were forced to drag disgarded rubbish or debris with them. Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-12-marine-turtles-dying-entangled-plastic.html#jCp
- 6 out of 5 sea turtle species are threatened or endangered due to human actions and lifestyles
Why are Sea turtles so important? They eat sea grass and sea grass is a very important area that breeds many species of fish, shellfish and crustaceans. Sea Grass like all grass needs to be cut to be healthy. Ergo, sea turtles have a very important place in our eco-system, which is why we we really need to protect them.
Resources
- Lovin Malta
- Nature Trust Malta: has an adopt a Turtle Programs
- Ocean Care
- Pinterest Board: Save The Turtles