You know at Fox Run EEC we love our turtles. In Kentucky, we don’t see many sea turtles, but many of us vacation along the southeastern coastline of Georgia and Florida where in summer, sea turtles come on beaches to lay eggs. This week’s guest author, Riya Jayanthi, explains why tourists and others need to treat our countries beaches respectfully.
Near the coastline of one of the east coasts, favorite vacation spots, lie one of the largest aquatic animal sanctuaries. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island witnessed an influx of “patients” over the course of the last few weeks, most recently after Georgia and other surrounding states lifted quarantine restrictions in early May.
A Loggerhead Sea Turtle at the Georgia Aquarium. Phot by Mike Gonzolez
The end to quarantine saw not only an increase in coronavirus cases but also an increase in the amount of injured wildlife. Many people have no idea of the negative impact their “relaxing vacation” can have, especially now. The Golden Isles around Georgia are dominated by small villages and large estates. Residents of the isles learn how to keep their waste limited, and how to be careful on the beaches and in the water.
Read more about turtles in our blog - Turtles Are Terrific
Non-residents, however, can partake in behaviors that are detrimental to local marine life. Spikes in patients at the Sea Turtle Center tend to occur in the summer months, which is normal. However, 2020’s quarantine recommendations caused more people to flock to the beaches immediately after restrictions were lifted.
The influx of visitors utilizing single-use plastics, taking long baths or showers to “relax,” and using gasoline-powered cars on the islands caused an increase in air and water pollution. This contaminates marine food sources and increases the probability of them contracting disease.
Single use plastic harms ocean life. Photo by Brian Yurasits.
Large amounts of beach traffic also cause problems in terms of turtle nesting, which peaks on the Isles in the summer months. Beach-goers often leave garbage all over the sand, or kick up sand on top of turtle nests, causing unprecedented difficulties for the hatchlings. Incoming female turtles are drawn away from ideal nesting locations due to nosy tourists with their phone flash on.
Read more about ocean pollution in our blog The Ever Increasing Problems of Discarded Masks
Boating accidents in the water, in tandem with the already perilous shipwreck off of the coast of Jekyll, is also harming marine life. Coastline Georgia offers commonplace for the perilous activity to local wildlife. However, along with the increased number of patients, quarantine hit the small business hard.
Isolation and closings caused a drastic drop in their revenue because a lot of their profits come from gift shop sales. The abandonment of a majority of their staff and an increase in patients was a scary combination for the small business.
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Since 2012, the number of Sea Turtles surviving in the wild has dropped to a percentage of 1 in 1000 surviving to adulthood. Many of the patients in the Georgia Sea Turtle Center are injured to the point where they cannot return to the wild. Sea turtle vulnerability and the necessity of associations like the center is becoming increasingly evident.
So, the small center continued its operations with a smaller staff and an even smaller budget. Contributing to the marine life crisis is a shipwreck from last September situated off the coast of Saint Simons and Jekyll. Its retrieval and restoration efforts have been causing issues with local wildlife.
Early July saw local law enforcement and the U.S. Coast Guard attempting to bring in heavy machinery to remove the 660-foot vessel from the ocean. The Golden Ray was carrying 4,200 new Hyundai and Kia cars-- a breeding ground for gas leaks. While they were able to remove the ship’s 26 fuel tanks before severe leakage occurred, a lot of damage was already done.
Scientists are speculating that there are large amounts of oil on the ocean floor already that hasn’t been discovered yet. This, combined with ignorant tourists, is harming already endangered marine life.
Georgia is definitely not the world’s favorite coastal playground, but the luxury amenities on the Sea Island coastline have been a favored vacation spot amongst many in the southeast. While social media accounts and local village streets may be filled with a flurry of vacationers, concerns for local wildlife are running deep behind the scenes.
The waters surrounding the Golden Isles are extremely important to local ecosystems. Maintaining the diverse native fauna is so important, especially when it’s in peril. Environmental scientists have been patrolling the waters for months in fear of severe contamination.
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Commercial fishermen based in the islands are taking active precautions to ensure excessive pollution doesn’t occur in the already endangered marshes. So, before you pack up your bags and head down to the “Golden Isles,” I implore you to take a minute. Leave behind any plastic, make sure your SPF is marine protected, and make sure you watch your step on the sand.
Keep our beaches safe!
Guest Author, Riya Jayanthi, is a current high school senior based in Georgia. She is a self-published author, a freelance graphic designer, photographer, and website developer with a passion for maintaining marine ecosystems & encouraging fashion sustainability. When she’s not writing or doing a job, she enjoys traveling around the world (15 countries & counting!), online shopping, or cooking an unnecessary amount of vegetarian food.