Back From The Brink, Green Sea Turtles

Sea turtles once existed in groups too numerous to count. In just 100 years demand for their eggs, meat, skin and shells dwindled their population. Today, nearly all seven different species are classified as Endangered.  “Destruction of feeding and nesting habitats and pollution of the world's oceans are all taking a serious toll on remaining sea turtle populations. Many breeding populations have already become extinct, and entire species are being wiped out.”  Due to protections by the Endangered Species Act and several other international treaties the green sea turtle, one of the largest sea turtle, is showing improvement. More than 10,000 nests were found at Florida's Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge in 2013 in comparison to 50 in 1990, and the Hawaiian green turtle population has shown an increase in abundance by 53% over the past 25 years.