Wind and currents can cause ghost gear to drift far from its origin. Ghost gear can therefore end up in any type of marine habitat, including on beaches, coastal areas, harbours, coral reefs, and, of course, in both shallow and deep sea, causing an array of environmental and socio-economic issues: Entanglement and entrapment of marine animals, often leading to severe … Read More
Ghost gear is fishing gear that has been abandoned, lost or discarded (ALDFG) at sea, in ports and at beaches. The term ‘ghost gear’ refers to all types of derelict fishing gear, whether that be nets, lines, traps and pots or fish aggregating devices (dFADs). Ghost gear poses a grave threat to the marine environment, fishermen and local communities. Fishing … Read More
Sea turtles can perform a variety of thermoregulatory behaviours to stay warm in colder waters, such as basking at the surface of the water during the warmer times of the day, and in some cases, on beaches! Also, they tend to restrict their movements to warmer, tropical and temperate waters, or microclimates where water heats up faster (eg. shallow reefs … Read More
Sea turtles are poikilothermic, meaning that they can not sufficiently internally maintain their internal body temperature and must absorb heat from the surrounding environment to maintain optimal body temperature. For this reason, they are particularly sensitive to ambient temperature and seek to occupy warmer waters, typically in the tropical and temperate zones and ideally over 20ºC. Exposed to temperatures below … Read More
Sea turtles are poikilothermic, meaning that they cannot maintain their internal body temperature efficiently and must therefore absorb heat from the surrounding environment to function normally. Depending on their life stage and species, sea turtles exposed to abrupt drops in temperatures may suffer from “cold-stunning”, or a form of hypothermia. Cold-stunned turtles can develop many clinical conditions, primarily lung, intestinal, skin and … Read More
The sex of sea turtles is not determined purely genetically, as it is in humans. The temperature during the development of the embryo will determine whether a male or a female turtle hatches. Higher temperatures result in females, lower in males. Increasing sand temperatures on nesting beaches can therefore shift the sex ratio of hatchlings to almost entirely female. As … Read More
During the course of incubation, the embryo grows inside the egg from a few cells at the beginning to a self-sufficient animal hatching (coming out of the egg) some 50 to 80 days later. Hatching typically begins with the baby turtle using a small, point keratinous bump on the tip of their snout (called caruncle) to break the egg. As … Read More
Poaching means the illegal take, hunt or catch of wildlife. The take or harvest of sea turtles and their eggs has been a traditional activity among many coastal communities for centuries. Most indigenous coastal tribes of many countries, specially in the tropics, capture sea turtles for subsistence and as a source of animal protein. This artisanal and subsistence take, primarily … Read More
Yes, sea turtles can drown as they have lungs just like other reptiles and similar to our own lungs. Sea turtles cannot breathe underwater, however they can hold their breath for long periods of time. However, a stressed sea turtle, such as one entangled in a ghost net for example, will deplete oxygen stores rapidly and may drown within minutes … Read More
Sea turtles have many recognized roles in the evolution and maintenance of the structure and dynamics of marine ecosystems; they are an integral part of the interspecific interactions in marine ecosystems as prey, consumer, competitor, and host. They also serve as significant conduits of nutrient and energy transfer within and among ecosystems; and can also substantially modify the physical structure … Read More
