Posts tagged with

endangered species

Bringing Back the Turtles in Biscayne Bay Florida

Posted Mon, 06/15/2020 - 09:32

Sea turtles are well adapted to life in the ocean and live in tropical and subtropical ocean waters around the world. Major threats to sea turtles in the United States include damage to their habitats, accidental capture during fishing, and getting tangled in or ingesting marine debris. The NOAA Marine Debris Program collaborates with partners to protect sea turtles by removing marine debris from shorelines.

Help Protect Endangered Species by Reducing Marine Debris

Posted Fri, 05/19/2017 - 10:00

Marine debris impacts a variety of wildlife that rely on the ocean and Great Lakes for food and/or habitat. Unfortunately, this includes many animals that are protected under the Endangered Species Act, including species of seals, turtles, whales, and even corals. Even if these endangered species are located within a protected area or far from people, they can still be impacted by this human-created problem, which travels the world’s ocean with the currents. For example, the Papahānuamokuākea Marine National Monument provides one of the last remaining refuges for the Hawaiian monk seal. Although it is extremely remote and far from large human populations, it is still heavily impacted by marine debris, which finds its way to the shores of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands due to their location in relation to the currents of the Pacific Ocean.