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  • Green sea turtles are protected by national and state laws, as well as international treaties. They are listed on the Endangered Species List
     

  • Accidental capture of green sea turtles is being reduced by fishing gear modifications (i.e. use of TED’s or turtle exclusion devices)                                                                 

  • Changes to fishing practices and closures of certain areas to fishing during nesting and hatching seasons.                                                                                                     

  • Green sea turtles are also listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), which forbids the trade of any turtle products on the international market.                                                                                              

  • Designation of critical habitat areas in coastal waters around parts of Puerto Rico.
     

  • Encourage use of low pressure sodium lighting along beach nesting areas
     

  • Regular monitoring of green sea turtle populations by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).                                                                                              

  • Reduce sea turtle interactions in fisheries by regulations and permits under the ESA and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.                           

  • The U.S. has prohibited the importation of shrimp harvested in the past in a manner that adversely affects sea turtles. 

Threats

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  • Overexploitation

  • Diseases

  • Pollution

  • Habitat Loss

  • Global Warming

Green sea turtles are hunted directly for their eggs, shell, and meat. They are also hunted indirectly (by accident). Diseases such as Fibropapilloma are common among these species and inhibits them from performing some physiological processes. In addition to waste pollution, light pollution is a major threat near nesting sites confusing the hatchlings from finding their way to the sea. Habitat destruction, fragmentation, and degradation by humans put green sea turtles in danger of extinction. Increased levels of carbon dioxide, mainly due to burning of fossil fuels increase sea temperatures and creates an unsuitable habitat for the turtles. 

Conservation Efforts

TED

These conservation efforts offered in past decades have tremendously helped to protect the green sea turtles against many threats imposed by humans. Although, there has not been a full recovery, these methods have helped to increase population size dramatically. Species in the pacific coast, however, are highly endangered even to this day and have not been recovering as well as the ones on the other parts of the world.  

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