Blog Post 1
Something I have been very passionate about is sea life and oceans. Endangered species in oceans are becoming a big problem with how many deaths are caused by humans. Humans do not know how much effect they have on the ocean and the environment/habitat from activities like and not limited to boating, littering and construction. Sea Turtles are one of the endangered species that are getting injured and dying everyday. Sea turtles are faced with a variety of threats and extinction. Dredging is a huge issue that has been threatening the lives of sea turtles. Dredging is using enormous suction pipes that vacuum up the entire bottom of the floor that the suction is on. Dredging keeps harbors safe and easily navigable for boats.
One big problem that has been threatening the sea turtles is the elimination of hopper dredging in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Cape Fear Watch and Defenders of Wildlife are challenging the highly successful limitations on hopper dredging projects that have been affecting sea turtles for decades. The Marine Corps decided to allow dredging throughout the year, including the spring and summer, when sea turtle resources are most vulnerable. For example last June, Corps dredged Morehead City Harbor and multiple turtles died. The Corps policy clashes with the ASMFC (Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission) and many other commissions. Turtles like hawks-back, leatherback, loggerheads travel to North Carolina for breeding and nesting. The injuries to reproductive sea turtles by dredging have had a devastating effect on the population recovery, which was the reason the Corps made a policy in the first place to limit dredging.
The cold weather has also been a concern for turtles and their habitats. Sea animals like turtles that are affected by the temperature of the water can have devastating deaths and injuries caused by the weather. The coast experienced a particularly harsh winter this January. During the long winter, the temperature of the water significantly dropped. If the water temperature drops below 50 degrees and the turtles are close to shore, they're unable to swim to warmer waters. A cold turtle can also suffer from hypothermia. Warmer waters would converge along the Gulf Stream.
For the perspectives surrounding dredging are the boat owners and employees that import and export cargo from Wilmington. Boat owners or boat club members that dock their boats in harbors, care about how deep the surrounding water is to be able to use their boats. Around Wilmington, boat slips cost loads and loads of money. Patrons want to be able to ride their boats for pleasure and go travel to where they want. Employees that have to import or export things in and out of Wilmington need to be able to get where they need to go to stay on track. From the perspective of the wildlife and ocean activists, they want to protect the sea turtles at all costs and believe that people should watch out for them. From the perspective of an activist like myself to sea life, I believe that we should be watching out for these special animals. If we do not have sea turtles, that messes up the whole ecosystem and ocean life.
Some solutions that would help with the dredging and death of sea turtles would be eliminating dredging windows and providing maximum flexibility to obtain contract dredging. This would be that dredging would only need to happen when needed. When dredging only when needed, would help with the risk of species dying especially sea turtles. Removing the restriction window would also be helpful also the completion of the project. They would be able to complete it all at once and not have to stop and come back. For the cold climate, we can use a method called lamping. Lamping is using a light when hunting. Lamping was helping rehabilitate 22 sea turtles when Coastal Review was giving tours of the aquarium. Lamping is one way that has been able to rehabilitate and let turtles get released back in the wildlife.
In conclusion, Sea turtles and ocean life in general is so important and we need to to save everyone we can. Finding ways to change dredging and helping the problem of cold weather are steps to help the threatening challenges to sea turtles. Sea turtles have a difficult time surviving from egg to juvenile so we need to protect them at all cost. We want to be able to give them every chance we can to help keep sea turtles alive for the ecosystem and habitat.