Sierra Blogging Post Archives

Talk about an adventure. Researchers studying leatherback turtles, the largest of all sea turtles, have recorded this female swimming nearly 13,000 miles across the Pacific ocean. After being tagged in Indonesia, she swam to Oregon and then back to Hawaii in search of food. 13,000 miles in 647 days!



Leatherback turtles have been traveling the oceans for 110 million years. Unfortunately, due to poor fishing practices and plastic pollution, their days are numbered. The leatherback turtle is the most endangered sea turtle in the world. Experts agree that the breed could become extinct in 30 years.

Turtles "face a myriad of risks from things like ingesting debris like plastic, to traveling through areas that are used by multinational fisheries — fisheries that would catch (the turtles) in the course of trying to catch fish," Scott Benson, of the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Services, said.

The plight of the leatherback is especially dire due to the long migrations they make. While many nesting areas are now being protected, the turtle continues to face problems in international waters that one country alone cannot fix.

Sea turtles are among the world's oldest ocean explorers, and perhaps the most efficient...

Peter C.H. Pritchard, a turtle expert and director of the Chelonian Research Institute in Florida, said he wasn't surprised to learn how far the turtle traveled.

"It's possible and only limited by the geography of the world," Pritchard said Friday. "They are masters of the ocean. There is a tremendous amount of muscle in the front. This is a powerful fishing machine and remarkable diving machine."

What a shame it would be if they were to disappear.

For more information on sea turtles and how to help, visit Defenders of Wildlife.