For the first time in 75 years on the Chandeleur Islands, hatchlings of the world’s smallest sea turtle species have been found. The Breton National Wildlife Refuge’s wildlife experts have found more than 53 turtles and two live hatchlings that were moving toward the sea, as per a press release issued by Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.
Wildlife specialists have also found the endangered loggerhead sea turtle nesting on the islands, in addition to Kemp’s ridley. June to July are the busiest months for sea turtle nesting, and most hatchlings merge in 50 to 60 days.
The fact that the hatchlings were Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, an endangered species, happens to be the tiniest sea turtle in the world. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration claim that the Gulf is where you can mostly find turtles.
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Tens of thousands laid their eggs in Rancho Nuevo, Mexico, around the start of the 20th century, which now saw a boom in their population.
However, their numbers significantly decreased between the mid-1900s and 1980s, peaking at just a few hundred females. The destruction of their nesting habitats, natural predators preying on their eggs’ hatchlings, being struck by sea vessels, ocean pollution, and even climate change threaten the Kemp’s ridley.
Other significant threats that posses include capture by fishermen or harvesting their eggs.
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Given that nearly 95 per cent of the nesting occurred in Tamaulipas, Mexico, the recent discovery of hatchlings in Louisiana is significant. Chip Kline, chairman of the coastal authority, said, “Louisiana was largely written off as a nesting spot for sea turtles decades ago, but this determination demonstrates why barrier island restoration is so important,” the Guardian reported.
Along with numerous hurricanes and other tropical weather systems in recent years, the islands were severely impacted by the BP oil spill that resulted from the Deepwater accident in 2010. The authorities have been trying to recover the islands by restocking and safeguarding a range of marine life that has been harmed by the oil disaster.
(With inputs fro agenices)
