WHY DOES THE HAWKSBILL SEA TURTLE MATTER?
Hawksbill . . . Why Do We Care
Have you ever been lucky enough to snorkel/dive around a coral reef? If so, can you remember the plethora of color, the vast animal diversity, and the feeling that there is no other place in the world quite like this? This environment is made possible by the hard work of millions of species contributing to keep this habitat healthy. One of those species is the serene and beautiful Hawksbill Sea Turtle, or the Eretmochelys Imbricata.
Fast Facts
1. The obstacles are so numerous for baby turtles that only about one in 1,000 survives to adulthood. (Sea Turtle Conservancy . 2011)
2. Hawksbills declined globally by over 80% during the last century. (Mortimer, J.A & Donnelly, M. 2008)
3. Juvenile hawksbills, and other marine turtles, are often collected and stuffed for sale as tourist curios. Although many countries have banned this trade, it still occurs. Stuffed hawksbills were openly on sale at Hanoi's international airport in 1998. (NOAA Fisheries. 2015)
4. Hawksbills are particularly susceptible to entanglement in gillnets and accidental capture on fishing hooks. Sea turtles need to reach the surface to breathe, and therefore many drown once caught. Known as bycatch, this is a serious threat to hawksbill turtles. As fishing activity expands, this threat is more of a problem. (Hawksbill Turtle. WWF (2015)
5. Hawksbill populations have declined dramatically in the Pacific islands. By far the most serious problem these turtles face is the harvest by humans. (National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1998)
6. Other than harvest, the major problems are those associated with habitat losses due to rapid expansion of resident human populations and/or increased tourism development. (National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1998)
7. Hawksbill Turtle's eggs still remain high in the market and some countries won't stop capturing their eggs for eating. (Hawksbill Turtle. WWF, 2015)
8. Due to pollution, the Hawksbill are eating trash, mistaken for jellyfish, and losing locations, for female hawksbills to lay their eggs.
9. Even though the beautiful Hawksbill Turtle is protected under CITES, and ESA, the turtles are still getting caught and traded for their shells. (Mortimer, J.A & Donnelly, M.(2008)
10. Today, however, the bekko industry is intact, and Japanese consumer
demand remains high. In January 2000, the valuable raw shell from abdominal plates ranged in price from JPY 30,000 per kg to JPY 150,000 p per kg (US $ 294-$1470 at that time) (Mortimer, J.A & Donnelly, M. 2008)
Our Mission Statement
As Members of the Studies of the Environment Drake Integrated Studies Program, we are dedicated to the protection of the Hawksbill Sea Turtle. Through this website we hope to educate and inform the public on the direness of the Hawksbill's situation, and how the public can help.