Title: Coast watch
Identifier: coastwatch00uncs_2 (find matches)
Year: 1979 (1970s)
Authors: UNC Sea Grant College Program
Subjects: Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology
Publisher: (Raleigh, N. C. : UNC Sea Grant College Program)
Contributing Library: State Library of North Carolina
Digitizing Sponsor: North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

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By Sarah Friday il of the Fittest Sea Turtles Survived the Age of the Dinosaur... Can They Survive the Age of IVIan? the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, believes increased development at the coast also has caused declines in populations. Pollution, toxic waste, agricultural runoff and other environmental hazards alter turtle foraging grounds. And beachfront development destroys nesting habitats. Brooks says the turtles aren't used to people, lights and activity. "Developed beaches are seeing fewer and fewer turtles coming to their area," he says. "And natural beaches like Bald Head are seeing more and more. Donnelly believes the turtles' problems may have broader implications. "What is happening to turtles may be happening to other species," she says. "To me, it's an indicator of the health of the ocean ... or the nonhealth." Without these ancient reptiles, Webster fears nature would lose a vital cog in the cycles of marine ecology. There would be repercussions throughout the food chain, he says. But today, conservationists are doing their part to en- sure that those repercussions are never felt. The CEE pushed the National Marine Fisheries Ser- vice to adopt regulations that will require shrimpers to equip their boats with turtle excluder devices. They've battled oil companies to stop the dynamiting of aban- doned oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, a prime turtle habitat. Internationally, the CEE and other environmental groups have worked feverishly to stop the trade in turtle products. And the turtles have plenty of local support, too. Florida plays host to 95 percent of the nation's nesting loggerheads and, now, to numerous organiza- tions concerned about their survival. Other states such as North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia are helping also. Some of the most popular programs, like Bald Head's "Turtle Watch," monitor seasonal sea turtle nesting and hatching activities. To Donnelly, this kind of local involvement is the solution to the sea turtles' plight.
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