Endangered Sea Turtles Stamps
- par: Caribbean Conservation Corporation
- destinataire: United States Postal Service- Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee
Each year, the United States Postal Service receives thousands of suggestions for new postage stamps. This year, CCC is promoting the creation of a sea turtle commemorative stamp book to spread awareness about the status of the six endangered sea turtle species that nest on our beaches or are found in U.S. waters.
Sea turtles have existed for over 100 million years and are found in oceans around the world. They use numerous marine and coastal habitats and help keep coral reefs and sea grass beds healthy. Sea turtle eggs and hatchlings are important not only to marine food webs but also to the beach environment where nests provide food for many species; hatched egg shells too provide nutrients critical to the roots of beach grasses, which in turn hold dunes intact. Until recently, sea turtle populations flourished. In the last several hundred years, however, excessive human exploitation, pollution and accidental capture in fisheries have taken a terrible toll in many areas of the world.
Sea turtles depend on conservation to survive. In the U.S., sea turtles have been protected by the Endangered Species Act for several decades. But conservation in one country is not enough because the range of most species often encompasses an entire ocean basin. For example, genetic studies reveal that a significant proportion of juvenile loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean were hatched on U.S. beaches. Conservation in the United States, therefore, can have a positive effect on U.S. sea turtle populations and others worldwide.
In U.S. waters and throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, incidental capture (by-catch) by commercial and artisanal fishing fleets injures or kills hundreds of thousands of sea turtles annually and poses one of the greatest threats to their survival. Further, marine pollution is exacerbating the problems and has been linked with the development of a debilitating sea turtle disease. Sea turtles often confuse plastic bags for jellyfish, which blocks their digestive systems when ingested. And on land, coastal development and sea walls threaten sea turtle nesting beaches. At the same time, beach-front lighting confuses baby sea turtles and leads them inland toward roads and parking lots where they perish. With a one in 1,000 chance of survival, these obstacles must be combated to improve the chances for recovering sea turtle populations.
We ask you to join us to support sea turtle conservation. By signing this petition, you will support conservation initiatives and spread awareness about these endangered ambassadors of the sea. In 1986 Dr Archie Carr, the famous sea turtle biologist, noted, "If the world goes on the way it is going, it will one day be a world without sea turtles. Some people accept this calmly, but I mistrust the prospect. Sea turtles are part of the old wilderness of the Earth-- the very environment in which man developed the nerves and hormones that make him human. If we let sea turtles go, it is a sign we are ready to let all wilderness go. When that happens, we shall no longer be exactly human."
Support sea turtles- ask the USPS to create a sea turtle species stamp book!
To learn more about sea turtle conservation, please visit: http://www.cccturtle.org
To learn more about the USPS Citizen%u2019s Advisory Committee, please visit: http://www.usps.com/communications/organization/csac.htm
To view sea turtle stamps from around the world, please visit: http://www.2xtreme.net/~nlinsley/
To celebrate everything American, the United States Postal Service issues new stamps each year. Because wildlife stamps are perennially popular, we the undersigned would like to suggest a sea turtle-themed stamp series to recognize the importance of these ancient creatures and raise awareness about their endangered status.
Much can be learned about the condition of our environment from sea turtles. They have existed for over 100 million years, and they travel throughout the world's oceans. They forage the ocean's reefs and sea grass beds, helping to keep these habitats robust. They contribute critical nutrients to the beach environment.
Six of the world's seven species of sea turtles are found along U.S. coastlines: loggerheads, greens, leatherbacks, olive ridleys, hawksbills, and Kemp's ridleys. All are listed on the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and all are struggling to survive.
Incidental captures of sea turtles (by-catch) by pelagic commercial fishing fleets kills many thousands of sea turtles annually and pose one of the greatest threats to their survival. Further, pollution caused by material and chemical dumping into the oceans is exacerbating the problems. Pollution has been linked with the development of a debilitating sea turtle disease, fibropapilomatosis. Discarded nets can tangle turtles underwater until they drown. Sea turtles often confused plastic bags for jellyfish, which blocks their digestive systems. And on land, coastal development threatens sea turtle nesting beaches and beach-front lighting confuses baby sea turtles and causes them to crawl inland toward roads and parking lots instead of toward the surf.
Passed in 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) began to offer sea turtles better protection from threats to their survival. The ESA was a great milestone for conservationists. It not only established protection for sea turtles, but it also aims to protect their nesting and offshore habitats.
We hope the United States Postal Service and its Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee will support efforts to fight for the recovery of these endangered sea turtle populations by creating an endangered sea turtles stamp book featuring the six species found in U.S. waters.
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