My Importance
Socioeconomic Value
Due to our low population and our ranking of Critically Endangered from the IUCN, we bring in thousands of tourists when we can be regularly viewed during our nesting season. People come from all parts of the country to see us- the adorable baby turtles who flop our way along the beach in our quest to reach the water's edge. In the U.S. we mostly nest on the coast of Texas and so we provide a significant economic boost to the region because of tourism. On these shores are also where many of our species are bred through captive breeding programs that are released by a collaboration of the federal government, non-profit conservation organizations, and volunteers. (Endangered Species Coalition, n.d.) If our species were to go extinct the areas that depend on the funds from our tourism would be at risk of being lost as well.
Value Generated From The Commercial Fishing Industry
The commercial fishing industry is a major food source in the U.S. and also helps contribute to the U.S. economy. Despite the benefits it has for humans, the current practices of the industry aren’t very sustainable, but there are ways to fix them! The commercial fishing industry accounts for about $900 million of revenue for the U.S. per year and the harvest in the Gulf of Mexico makes about 25% of that number (Sanibel Sea Classroom, 2019). Although that may seem like a big number, the industry is also causing a lot of damage to the ecosystem on which it relies. Oftentimes sea turtles such as ours, are swimming along looking for food and they find something that looks like a snack. Next thing they know, they are tangled up in a fishing net with nowhere to go and still have an empty stomach. If they are lucky, they will get dragged up to the boat with the other fish or shrimp and are thrown back into the ocean in time to save them. In other cases, they happen to have been caught in a ghost net and that will be their end. Recently, the U.S. federal government has stated that all large nets used in the commercial fishing and shrimping industry must have TEDs for the turtles to escape through. These devices have significantly helped reduce the impact of this industry on our population and by paying the small price to implement them into nets it will save hundreds of sea turtles.
Value Generated From The Fossil Fuel Industry
An industry of this size should contribute towards the cause of protecting our habitat because every dollar they’re making by having platforms in the gulf has a negative effect on our ecosystem. The best option to reduce the risk of the industry is by eliminating it completely. The fossil fuel industry has been wreaking havoc on our world for decades and needs to be put to a stop. It’s not only one of the main reasons for global warming, but the amount of pollution it causes on our habitat is completely unsustainable. Any day there could be another oil spill as significant as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill which has had catastrophic impacts that we are still seeing today. Getting rid of this industry will have many positive effects on the environment, but would also cause a major loss in the U.S. economy. The fossil fuel industry contributed $29.7 billion dollars in 2019 from mining in the Gulf of Mexico (Magill, 2021). Although the cost shouldn’t matter when trying to save the planet there will be concerns about that massive hole of income for the country. To solve this issue of a lack of income produced from this industry you could switch to focusing on the production of green energy such as creating jobs for the implementation of solar panels and wind turbines. You would also need people to help take down and shut down all of the oil platforms, in a safe way that would not lead to another oil spill. Changing the methods that produce your energy would cause a significant increase in our specie’s population with the lack of oil platforms in our migratory path. It would also prevent any future oil spills that would cause a significant decline in our population.
Environmental Impact
What Impact Do I Have Now?
We have a huge impact on the environment around us. According to Oceana, we are important in nutrient cycling, especially from land to water, and water to land. We also help keep coral reefs and seagrass beds healthy, as well as balance marine food webs.
What's My Impact If I'm Gone?
If we go extinct all of these things will be messed up. Because of our important role in nutrient cycling, the cycling could be off-balance. The same goes for our role in the ecosystem. Without us, our prey sizes will multiply, while our predator sizes will dwindle. It would also have a negative impact on the coral and seagrass.