Turtle
For many reasons the human race could be called
a blessing. Great
advanced in technology, medicine and even the fact we are
the most sophisticated
species on the planet. Are we a gift to planet Earth,
or far from it? With cast
amounts of pollution and destruction of the planet,
not to mention unthinkable
acts of violence and hate that has been going on
since the beginning of time.
Are we really as sophisticated and important
as we have led ourselves to
believe? Are we any better than any other
creature because we are more
technologically advanced? Is the human race a
blessing? Humans have destroyed
and endangered more species on our planet
than any other species or group, with
our continuous pollution and lack of
respect for out own environment. One area
of the world affected by our
careless habits is our coastlines and the marine
habitats that vast amounts
of species rely on. These particular areas of the
world are being destroyed
because humans don’t seem to care as long as they
make a couple of dollars in
the process. Oil spills like the one in the Prince
William Sound on the
coast of Alaska and Hawaiian sea turtles and their many
troubles with humans
are just some examples of human carelessness and the
consequences that the
environment, particularly marine wildlife incur, which
often are fatal. I
chose this particular subject because I find the ocean and
it’s unique and
rare inhabitants to be interesting. Every coastline has its
one unique
species and no two areas are the same. I wanted to learn more about
how
humans are destroying the habitats of these unique creatures. I found
that
all species are in someway being threatened by human dominance and
carelessness.
From the common flounder or sea star you can find when you
walk across the beach
to a rare fish like the coelacanth (prehistoric fish
that was believed to be
extinct until one was caught off the coat of
Madagascar by a local commercial
fisherman until in the 1950’s). The ocean
can be a calm and loving but can
easily turn into a vicious killer within
seconds. All of these things are what I
find so interesting about the ocean.
I wanted to find out why people can
continue to destroy it even though they
know the effect of their actions. I
guess some people are ignorant and just
don’t care if they destroy the things
that make our environment so beautiful.
One example of our careless destruction
of our environment is the Exxon
Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska in
1989. The Prince William
Sound still shows signs of the oil spill tem years
later. Most species have
recovered since the spill, but many are still
suffering. The Harbor Seal and
herring are just two who are vital to the
survival of all the species in the
area. Herring are the main source of food for
many species in the area,
including humans. (Mitchell, p.98) "The ecosystem is
gradually recovering
from the spill," says Molly McCammon, an Executive
director of the Exxon
Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, "but it will never be
the same as it was
twenty years ago." The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee
Council was founded
to oversee the use of nine hundred million dollars to the
area by the
government after settling with the Exxon Company for one billion
dollars in
criminal and civil damages. One serious problem in the aftermath of
Exxon
Valdez is the decline of herring. (The table shows the chave in
populations
of Prince William Sound before and after the Exxon Valdez spill.)
Even
more disturbing than the fact herring aren’t recovering as well as
other
species like them is the fact they were on the decline before the
accident. This
was a major issue because herring are the center of the
ecosystem in the Sound.
Many biologists now believe that over fishing of
the herring has contributed to
their decline. The Pacific Herring is just one
species of the area, but if you
see how important that one species is to the
ecosystem of the Alaskan coast than
you begin to see how important all
species are to their particular habitats.
This is just one example, but
if you take a species out of its environment, then
a chain reaction would
occur, hurting the species around it. Another species
that biologists are
beginning to study wit the money received from the Exxon
Valdez
settlement is the Alaskan Salmon. The oil spill has left the
Alaskan
Salmon on the decline until recently, but still the species is
reeling. "The
last two years have been extremely positive for the Alaskan
Salmon
population," stated one Alaskan biologists. But her concerns were more
focused
on the salmon offspring, which had been effected by the spill. Fry,
as seen in
the left vial, were damaged by the oil. The fry still come in
contact with oil
when oil pockets seep into some intertidal spawning streams.
"These pockets
are like mines," says Jeffrey Short, a scientist with the
National Marine
Fisheries Service. Scientist discovered the oil caused
genetic defects in
salmon. Many species in the Prince William Sound are still
recovering from the
spill. This is just one spill and you can see the
devastation it has made upon
its ecosystem. This has been called one of the
worst oil spills in history. But
you can imagine there has been numerous
spills that are almost as areas might
never fully recover from the spill on
their ecosystem. The devastation of an oil
spill is just one of many causes
of marine destruction that humans are guilty
of. Many other species suffer
from damaged habitats. Another example of humans
destroying their environment
and the unique species that live there is Hawaiian
Sea turtles. The
turtles are becoming endangered because of loss of habitat. The
overwhelming
presence of humans in the turtle’s habitat is making is harder
for turtles to
find areas where they can lay their eggs. The loss of nesting
sites if
hurting the reproduction of sea turtles because unpopulated beaches
are
becoming harder to find. Sea turtles have an affinity for certain beaches
and
when they cannot lay their eggs there they have to find new areas which
can take
time. Other reasons why the turtles are being threatened are
pollution of the
ocean and netting. Pollution in the form of debris is
killing turtles. They can
ingest the plastic debris and it makes it hard to
get the nourishment needed
from the food they eat. Netting is another killer
of turtles. Fishing nets set
out by commercial fisherman are a definite
killer of sea turtles in the Hawaiian
Islands.
(http://www.turtles.org/marines). Erosion of beaches also hurts the
sea
turtle population. The lack of beach force turtles to lay their eggs in
a
smaller area. When humans try to stop or reduce erosion it disturbs the
turtles
even more. Sea walls, canals, jetties, and sandbagging are all things
that are
used by humans to stop erosion, but they are hurting the turtles
more than they
are helping them. They need dry land in order to lay their
eggs and these
structures are deducing land even further. Fibropapilloma
Tumors are a serious
threat and are beginning to show up on turtles in Hawaii
and other areas with
large numbers of sea turtles. They were first seen in
turtles around 1930, but
it wasn’t until 1980 that the tumors began to show
up in epidemic proportions.
The green turtles were the only known species
to have the tumors, but it has
recently been discovered in other turtle
species. The most effected areas of the
world are Hawaii, Florida, and
Australia. (http://www.turtles.org/threats.htm)
All of these threats to
turtle population are hurting their hopes of survival.
But people out to
help the sea turtles such as Denise Parker who works with a
marine turtle
program in Honolulu, Hawaii, have worked hard and the population
of marine
sea turtles has actually been on the rise in recent years. The
turtle’s
population is coming up from endangered and threatened to a safe
number, but
that isn’t far enough for many who care about the turtles. They
continue to
help increase the population because they know they would begin to
decline
again if they didn’t have any help. Many groups such as the
Marine
Turtles Research Program and the National Marine Fisheries Service
are helping
to restore the turtles in Hawaii. There are also many individuals
whose work
with the sea turtles have helped in preserving them and their
natural
environment. One of these people is Ken Nichols. Nichols is a
supporter of
turtles and he is trying to make the people aware of the
environment in the
Hawaiian Islands. He feels that the most important
thing we can do is conserve
the wilderness and beaches from expansion. We
need to educate people about the
turtles especially children. When asked
about how we can save the environment
and the habitat of turtles as well as
other species Nichols said, "This is
obviously a difficult task as the human
population continues to grow, which
means we are constantly expanding into
wild areas which support bio-diversity of
all types. I believe the greatest
task is education of children and more
efficient use of the existing areas we
are using." These two ideas, are good
examples of how the human race destroys
the environment around them. We continue
to hurt our wildlife, but there are
people out there to fight against the
pollution and destruction caused by
large corporations and businesses. The
Endangered Species Act of 1973 has
helped tremendously in the battle for
survival of species like the turtles in
Hawaii as well as other threatened and
endangered species of out planet.
(http://www.fws.gov/r9end.com). This act
prohibits the further destruction or
death of the species. By the Endangered
Species Act, citizens of the
United States are prohibited from taking an
endangered or threatened species,
declared by the U.S. Fish and Wilidlife
Service, from its environment
whether on United States’ soil or in its waters.
Punishment if caught
breaking the lwas instead in this act are as follows;
25,000 dollars if
caught violating the rules listed above, 12,000 forknowingly
participating in
the importing or exporting of such species. Any person who
otherwise violates
any provision of this Act, or any regulation, permit, or
certificate issued
hereunder, may be assessed a civil penalty by the Secretary
of not more than
$500 for each such violation.
(http://endangered.fws.gov/esa.html)
Although this act is a great step
towards the restoration of threatened and
endangered species many feel the
act isn’t worth the money. A proposed
amendment to the Endangered Species Act
threatened many aspects of the project.
The proposed "amendment" was an
attempt to undermine the project of funding
and political support. The
amendment to section 403 of the Endangered Species
Act would literally
wipe out many of the endangered species protected by this
bill. "The sea
turtles of Hawaii wouldn’t stand a chance if the amendment
would have
passed," said supporters of the Endangered Species Act and
endangered species
around the world, "We can’t just let them take back what
we have worked so
hard for." Shrimp nets alone kill 55,000 turtles a year in
the Hawaiian
Islands. (http://www.turtles.org/threats). If the Endangered
Species Act
is undermined where will these endangered species turn? Some
senators who
support the amendments to undermine the act are back in congress
for a second
term and many feel the amendments to the Endangered Species Act
will be
brought up again and re-voted. (http://www,turtles.org/threats).
Senator
Slade Gorton was one supporter of the bill to undermine the
Endangered Species
Act. Are these accusations of inhumanity and lack of
care for nature completely
true about Senator Gorton? On Senator Gorton’s web
site (http://senate.gov/~gorton),
he shows his compassion for nature. A
letter thanking him for his help on saving
trees and several streams in his
home state of Washington from the Sierra club
was one such article bringing
up questions of whether he was so bad. Others seem
to think otherwise, but it
is hard to tell without actually knowing him or all
his work. Many other laws
and acts have been implemented to stop the decline in
population of many
endangered and threatened species. One it the Marine Mammal
Act, which
protects the many species in our oceans. The Clean Water and Clean
Air
acts were also adopted to help protect these endangered species from
human
threats. One example of how humans have hurt many different species of
animals
is pesticides, especially the pesticide DDT, which was used in World
War II to
keep insects away from soldiers. After the war, the pesticide was
brought back
to the United States and used very carelessly. DDT seeped into
the streams and
contaminated almost every species that ate fish or other
animals that had been
infected with DDT. From the contaminated fish the
pesticide went up the food
chain and began killing off the bald eagles. After
the substance DDT was
nationally banned in 1973 the bald eagle has begun to
make a comeback like most
of the other species affected by our carelessness.
(Discovery, "The Bald
Eagle"). Just because the Bald Eagle is the symbol
of our country does that
mean we have more of an obligation to protect it
than the sea turtles? Hopefully
we will be able to stop the amendments one
more time, but if they are made what
will happen to the animals that depend
on it? We have the obligations to protect
these animals. We have placed them
in this situation and it is our fault many of
these species are endangered
today. We cannot continue to let them slip away if
we can do something about
it. Many organizations are trying to keep these laws
in place. Others who
feel that our money should go to more worthy causes, even
though we
personally are responsible for the decline in many species. I think we
need
to support the laws that are in effect as of right now and try to get
better
funding for the organizations that are already in place. We don’t need
new
laws, we need to support and help fund the ones we already have. The
U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service is one of the big organizations that helps
protect the
endangered species as well as helping to educate and fund other
small
organizations that can do their part as well. It may not be easy to get
funding
for programs like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but we can
achieve this
goal if we work hard. A good example of how we can help to
preserve our
endangered wildlife is we can implement a tax that will provide
money to these
programs. We can add a tax to companies who contribute to the
destruction of our
environment. For example, if a company produces pollution
they should be forced
to pay a tax. We can place a standard tax for all
companies and corporations who
do this or we can base the amount owed by the
amount of pollution or amount of
destruction caused by the corporation on the
environment. For companies that we
are unable to tell how much exactly
contribute to the destruction of the
environment, we can require a base sum.
A starting base sum could be five
hundred dollars a year for all the
companies who contribute to the destroying of
the Earth. We can assemble a
committee of U.S. Fish and Wildlife agents to
assess the amount of pollution
a company produces and then a fitting cost for
that pollution. It might take
a little while to put this proposal into effect.
If we anticipated the
slow advancement of passing the law in congress it would
take six or seven
years to implement this law. It wouldn’t take a lot of
money, but definitely
some money would be required. It would take several
thousand to advertise if
it wasn’t donated by a company who felt strongly
about the issue at hand. I
would think an estimate of about $500,00-60,000
dollars would easily cover
the expenses of advertising, salaries for workers and
any other expenses.
Donations and fundraisers would be used to accumulate enough
money to get the
support of the people. When I discussed my proposal with my
friend, she felt
that it was a good idea and that the organizations like the
U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service need the money to study and set up programs to
save
endangered species and these programs need money. She felt it would be
hard
to get the bill passed because congressmen have ties with big
corporations that
pollute and they wouldn’t have to pay fees. So most likely
the proposal would
be stopped. Although she didn’t see the bill being passed
she said that if we
accumulate enough money to advertise and get the support
of the people,
congressmen would be forced to vote for the bill or they might
not be reelected.
If she has strong feelings about this subject, I’m sure
the majority of this
society is concerned about the environment and about our
future. We need to try
and get funds for programs and organizations that help
endangered and threatened
species. Many organizations rely on donations and
money from supporters. We need
to find ways to get more money for these
programs and the proposal of taxes on
companies who pollute is just one
possibility. Everyone contributes to the
destruction of the environment and
we all have to do our part to help the
species we are killing off. Species
like the Pacific Salmon, who were threatened
by the Exxon Valdez oil spill of
1989. As well as other species like the sea
turtles in Hawaii who were on the
verge of extinction until a recent turn around
because of help from
organizations and individuals. Individuals who take the
burden upon their
shoulders and make it their business to make up for all the
people who could
care less what happens to their environment. We need to protect
our
environment form the people who seek to destroy it for money and success.
I
think the beauty of the ocean is worth saving. Every creature and every
unique
species is a creature worth saving. We don’t have the right to kill
those who
aren’t as smart or sophisticated as us. They have just as mush
right to the
Earth as we do. We don’t have the right to over fish herring
in Alaska or cut
down all the trees in rain forests just for money and the
profit these
resources
create.
Bibliography
1.
www.turtles.org/tumor.htm
2.
Interview
with Ken Nichols, a known marine sea turtle activists and protector
of
environment of the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.
3.
www.endangered.fws.gov/esa.htm#Lnk11