Save the turtles, Save the corals

Last edited: February 26, 2020

Saving the turtles has swept the nation like a crashing wave. Many people are buying metal straws in efforts to save the turtles. The question is, how did this trend come about, and why the metal straws?

The root of this was when a professor at Texas A&M University, Christine Figenner released a video of a turtle with a straw impaled through it’s neck. This video spread throughout media bringing awareness to this issue. The problem with plastic straws is that they are too small to make it through recycling process and are therefore discarded whole.

Buying metal straws is a positive move towards saving sea life; but there are other ways as well. Leatherback sea turtles keep the jellyfish population in check. When a leatherback sea turtle spots a plastic bag floating around they mistake it for their common prey: jellyfish. Therefore, using less plastic bags, or using a reusable tote will prevent turtles from eating the wrong prey.

Why are sea turtles important?

Turtles are known as a keystone species. A keystone species is a specie that is key to the natural ecosystem it belongs to. Keystone species are like a jenga piece at base of the tower, without a keystone species, the environment collapses. In the sea turtles case, the corals. The sea turtles are a keystone species to the coral ecosystems because they provide biodiversity. Hawksbill sea turtles eat coral sponges, which are a common fast growing type of coral. By eating the coral sponge, there is an opportunity for other corals to grow, leading to more homes for different sea life. In addition, sea turtles regularly munch on sea grass. This prevents sea grass overgrowth and leads to a healthier sea grass population. This gives an opportunity for other sea life to munch on them as well.

Why are the corals important?

“An estimated 25 percent of all marine life, including over 4,000 species of fish, are dependent on coral reefs at some point in their life cycle,” according to the US EPA. Corals provide shelter, food, and nursery for the marine life that depends on it.

“Approximately half a billion people globally depend on coral reef ecosystems for food, coastal protection, and income from tourism and fisheries,” according to the US EPA. People living on islands surrounded by reefs harvest the fish commercially and for their own consumption. Also, coral reefs are the frontline defenders to erosion, floods, tsunamis and storms.

Not only are coral reefs beneficial for marine life and islanders, it’s also a money magnet! The US EPA estimates that the coral reefs haul in an income of $29.8 billion. This includes fisheries, prevention from storm damage and tourism.

A major issue that corals face is climate change. Increasing temperatures that are causing the oceans to warm leads to coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is when the change in temperature causes the coral to release it’s symbiotic algae, that accounts for its color. The effects of coral bleaching is that it lowers the reproduction rate, growth rate, and lowers its ability to fight off disease.

What can you do?

– Use metal straws, reuse bags or use reusable totes

– Use sunscreen lotion that does not contain oxybenzone or octinoxate. These chemicals have been shown to damage coral reef in small amounts when in contact with corals

– Combat climate change as a whole to reverse or prevent temperature increase

Coral Gardeners

This is an organization that is saving the coral reef systems that have been damaged by replanting recovered corals. You can donate to their cause or even adopt a coral that comes with a certificate! Visit them at https://www.coralgardeners.org/

Bibliography

To learn more about coral bleaching visit: https://www.livescience.com/64647-coral-bleaching.html

To learn more about how sea turtles help marine life visit: https://marinelife.org/four-ways-sea-turtles-help-keep-our-oceans-beaches-healthy/

To learn about basic coral information visit: https://www.epa.gov/coral-reefs/basic-information-about-coral-reefs