SEA TURTLE

Sea turtles have a tough life, with only 1 in 1,000 to 10,000 hatchlings surviving to adulthood. Despite a number of natural obstacles to their survival, from climate change to predators, their biggest threat comes from humans—who pollute coastal areas and fill the ocean with debris, accidentally drown them while fishing for other species, and hunt them for their eggs, meat, leather and shells.

While laws exist to protect sea turtles in most countries, enforcement is often lax, and there is a significant illegal trade in their eggs, meat, and shells that end up decimating populations. For example, scientists estimate that populations of hawksbills have dropped 90 percent over the past century due to the black market trade in their shells.

SEA TURTLE LINKS:

Investigating the Illegal Sea Turtle Trade

https://blog.nature.org/science/2019/01/07/investigating-the-illegal-sea-turtle-trade/

Sea Turtle Conservancy

https://conserveturtles.org/information-sea-turtles-threats-sea-turtles/