In Danger: Green Sea Turtle

Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) (Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/David Vogel)

Green sea turtles are born on land but spend the rest of their lives at sea. They are strong swimmers and will migrate distances of 1,000 miles or more between feeding areas and nesting beaches.

At night, the females crawl onto land to lay and bury their eggs above the high-tide line. Since birds, raccoons and crabs feed on the eggs and tiny hatchlings, the survival rate to adulthood is extremely low.

The green sea turtle is one of seven sea turtle species worldwide. Having survived for 200 million years, all species are now endangered or threatened. Populations have declined due to over-hunting, human encroachment on nesting beaches, and unintentional capture and drowning in fish and shrimp trawls.

Now these saltwater reptiles face additional threats from offshore oil and gas development. Houston-based Harken Energy Corporation recently acquired the rights to explore for oil and gas in a 1.4 million-acre parcel along Costa Rica`s Caribbean coast. The concession lies just south of Tortuguero National Park — home to the largest green sea turtle nesting site in the Western Hemisphere.

Offshore oil and gas development can harm marine turtles in several ways. Oil spills and leaks leave an oily film on the turtle`s skin, hinder respiration, alter blood chemistry, and may increase susceptibility to infection. Noise and lighting from offshore structures can interfere with nesting, while the discharge of drill fluids and other pollutants contaminate feeding sites.

Harken has prepared an environmental impact study for this proposed development. However, the study is incomplete and ignores potential impacts.

E-LAW U.S. is working with Costa Rican advocates to protect marine habitats by highlighting significant errors and omissions in the environmental impact study.