How Can You Protect Sea Turtles?
Keep Trash Out of the Ocean
Sea turtles and other creatures might eat or get entangled in trash in the ocean. For example, sea turtles often mistake plastic bags as jellyfish, one of their favorite foods. Sea turtles also mistake floating trash, like plastic bottles, as food and ingest bits of hard plastic. Consuming plastic bags and plastic bits can be deadly to sea turtles and other marine animals.
To help keep our beaches and ocean clean:
- Participate in coastal clean-ups
- When you leave the beach, grab a piece of trash—even if it isn’t yours!
- Reduce plastic use: Carry reusable water bottles and shopping bags
- Cut apart six-pack rings that hold beverages together—this will keep smaller turtles and other animals from being caught in them
- Take extra care when securing trash in trash cans, both on your street and at the beach—plastic bags and other items can easily fly out with the wind and end up in the water
- Ensure old line and gear are disposed of properly and not left on beaches, reefs, piers, or wherever you are fishing
Don’t Release Balloons into the Air
Balloons can be harmful to wildlife. Released balloons and attached ribbons or string may end up in the ocean where animals like sea turtles can become tangled in them. Sea turtles can also mistake them for jellyfish and consume them. Don’t release balloons into the air and educate others on the hazards that balloons are to wildlife. Instead, use bubbles, kites, or wish papers for your celebrations.
Give Sea Turtles Space
Observe sea turtles from a safe and respectful distance to prevent disturbing them. Do not swim with, ride, approach, touch, or attempt to interact with sea turtles in the wild, for their safety and yours. If people or pets disturb a nesting turtle, she might abandon her nesting attempt and return to water.
Sea turtles in the water may be shy and flee an area if disturbed. In areas where sea turtles are used to people in the water with them, they may bite or bump into people, which could cause injuries.
Become a Responsible Seafood Consumer
Ask where and how your seafood was caught. Choose seafood caught in ways that do not harm or kill turtles. Consult sustainable seafood information networks, like NOAA’s FishWatch, to learn about how and where your seafood is caught.
How Can You Help Keep Waterways and Beaches Safe for Sea Turtles?
- Keep our rivers and oceans free of trash
- Keep nesting beaches dark and safe for sea turtles by turning off, shielding, or redirecting lights visible from the beach, which can disorient hatchling sea turtles and discourage nesting females from coming onto the beach to lay their eggs
- Attend an organized sea turtle walk to safely observe nesting sea turtles and ensure turtles, nests, and hatchlings are not disturbed
- Remove recreational beach equipment like chairs, umbrellas, and canopies at night so sea turtles do not become entangled and have open spaces to nest
- Fill in holes and knock down sandcastles before you leave the beach—holes are dangerous hazards for nesting turtles and hatchlings, and sand castles present major obstacles for tiny hatchlings on their way to the water
What Should You Do if You See a Sea Turtle in Distress?
If you see a sick, injured or dead sea turtle, contact your local sea turtle stranding network. Or, if circumstances warrant while on the water, contact the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16. Your call will start a potentially life-saving response by dedicated, trained responders.
All sea turtles are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. It’s especially important that sick or injured turtles receive appropriate treatment so they can be released back into the population.
After you report a turtle in distress, keep the animal in sight from a safe distance. If possible, wait for responders to arrive. Responders mobilize quickly, but depending on the location, it could take a few minutes to a few hours for them to arrive. Sea turtles are very strong, and a stressed animal can act unpredictably, so give them space.
How Can You Keep Sea Turtles Safe When Boating or Fishing?
Go Slow: Sea Turtles Below!
Sea turtles are found in oceans, bays, sounds, and nearshore waters in all U.S. coastal states, as far north as Maine and occasionally Alaska. Turtles come to the surface for air, and they can be difficult to see. Boat strikes are a serious threat to sea turtles, so slow down, keep a look out, and give them space.
How to Avoid Boat Strikes
- Post a lookout for sea turtles in the water, especially off nesting beaches and near foraging areas like seagrass beds, reefs, and places where jellyfish swarm
- Wear polarized sunglasses to reduce the glare and help spot animals in the water
- Drive slowly when entering and exiting small boat harbors, near boat ramps, and adhere to slow, no wake zones
- Give them space: If you see a turtle close to your boat, put your engine in neutral to avoid injury, and allow it to pass—when all is clear, move away slowly.
Be Careful with Fishing Gear
- Never abandon fishing gear—hooks, lines, or nets left in the water can entangle and kill sea turtles
- Recycle fishing line and discard old gear responsibly in trash receptacles
- Use barbless circle hooks and/or artificial bait
- Change fishing location if sea turtles are in the area and show interest in your bait or catch—don’t cast your line if a sea turtle is in the area
- Check your bait often: Checking and recasting gear reduces the potential for hooking or entanglement by relocating a baited hook away from a curious turtle
- Discard bait or fish remains in appropriate containers, not the water—sea turtles may associate discards with food and be at risk of capture or entanglement in hook and line gear
- Watch your gear, and never leave it unattended
- Report accidental interactions to your local sea turtle stranding network
More fishing tips to protect sea turtles
