Page 326 - Hawaii: Diving, Surfing, Pearl Harbor, Volcanoes and More

arine sea turtles are caught worldwide, ecotourism as a permanent substitute to sea tion is able to grow and become stronger with
Malthough it is illegal to hunt most species turtle hunting. Sea turtle nesting grounds the presence of nutrients from sea turtle eggs,
in many countries. A great deal of intentional became sustainable. unhatched nests, eggs and trapped hatchlings.
marine sea turtle harvests are for food. Many As the dune vegetation grows stronger and
parts of the world have long considered sea ea turtles play key roles in two ecosystem healthier, the health of the entire beach/dune
turtles to be fine dining. Many coastal com- Stypes that are critical to them as well as to ecosystem becomes better.
munities depend on sea turtles as a source of humans——oceans and beaches and dunes.
protein, often harvesting several sea turtles at In the oceans, sea turtles, especially green sea f the seven species of sea turtles, five are
once and keeping them alive on their backs turtles, are one of very few creatures (mana- Olisted on the IUCN Red List of Endangered
until needed. Coastal peoples gather sea turtle tees are another) that eat the sea grass that Species as either “endangered” or “criti-
eggs for consumption. grows on the sea floor. Sea grass needs to be cally endangered”. Globally, the Kemp’s ridley,
constantly cut short to help it grow across the hawksbill, and leatherback sea turtles are listed
eatherback sea turtles enjoy immunity sea floor. Sea turtles act as grazing animals as “Critically Endangered”, the loggerhead and
Lfrom the sting of the deadly box jellyfish that cut the grass short and help maintain the green as “Endangered”. Although sea turtles
and regularly eat them, helping keep tropical health of the sea grass beds. Sea grass beds usually lay around one hundred eggs at a time,
beaches safe for humans. Tortuguero, Costa provide breeding and developmental grounds on average only one of the eggs from the nest
Rica, have transitioned from a tourism industry for numerous species of fish, shellfish and will survive to adulthood. While many of the
that made profits from selling sea turtle meat crustaceans. Without sea grass beds, many things that endanger these hatchlings are
and shells to an ecotourism-based economy. marine species humans harvest would be lost, natural, such as predators including sharks, rac-
Tortuguero is considered to be the founding as would the lower levels of the food chain. The coons, foxes, and seagulls, many new threats
location of sea turtle conservation. In the 1960s reactions could result in many more marine to the sea turtle species have recently arrived
the cultural demand for sea turtle meat, shells, species eventually becoming endangered or and increased with the ever-growing presence
and eggs was quickly killing the once abun- extinct. of humans.
dant sea turtle populations that nested on the
beach. The Caribbean Conservation Corpora- ea turtles use beaches and the lower dunes
tion began working with villagers to promote Sto nest and lay their eggs. Dune vegeta-