Sea turtle conservation

Sea turtle conservation is the protection and management of sea turtles and the habitats they depend on. It combines measures to reduce human-caused deaths with efforts to safeguard nesting beaches and marine ecosystems.

Sea turtle bycatch: The accidental capture of sea turtles in fishing gear intended for other species. Reducing bycatch is a direct way to prevent deaths at sea.
Sea turtle life cycle: The stages from sea turtle egg and hatchling through juvenile and adult life to reproduction. Different stages use different habitats and face different conservation risks.
Olive ridley sea turtle arribada: A mass synchronized nesting event in which many olive ridley turtles come ashore together. Arribadas make nesting protection a logistical challenge at exceptionally crowded beaches.
Ghost fishing: The continued capture of marine animals by lost or abandoned fishing gear. Discarded nets and lines can injure or kill turtles long after gear is lost.
Sea turtle population assessment: The estimation of sea turtle population size, trends, and demographic condition from monitoring data. Long generation times make it difficult to judge whether interventions are working.
Turtle Excluder Device: A grid fitted in trawl nets that lets sea turtles escape while retaining much of the catch. It reduces turtle deaths in shrimp trawls, a major source of bycatch.
Sea turtle migration: The recurring movements of sea turtles between feeding, breeding, and nesting areas. Migration links distant jurisdictions and makes protection beyond beaches necessary.
Kemp's ridley sea turtle: The smallest and most endangered species of sea turtle, native to the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic. Its recovery illustrates coordinated nesting-beach and fishery protections.
Marine plastic pollution: Plastic debris and particles that accumulate in marine environments and affect organisms and ecosystems. Turtles can ingest plastic or become entangled in debris.
Bycatch mitigation: Methods and policies that reduce the incidental capture of non-target animals in fishing operations. Gear changes must reduce turtle captures without shifting costs or harm elsewhere.

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