Sea Turtles of Okinawa

Clean Beaches and Pick Up Trash

Removing marine debris from nesting beaches can help baby sea turtles increase their chances of survival. Humans discard unwanted fishing gear in the open ocean and tons of our plastic trash floats on the ocean’s surface, where the young turtles spend most of their time.

Eat Sustainable Seafood

Follow the Blue Seafood Guide as a guide for seafood consumption in Japan. Download the Seafood Watch App as a guide for seafood consumption. in the US.

Submit Sea Turtle Sightings

Take pictures of sea turtles (left and right profile and dorsal view) to help create a database to identify individuals, thereby being able to track local turtle populations and their trends, and also identify potential sea turtle hotspots and prioritize their conservation. Submit the sightings here

Refuse Plastic Bags

Plastic bags are petroleum-based and do not biodegrade.Sea turtles and other marine creatures mistake plastics and other garbage as food (such as jellyfish) and ingest it. This mistake causes blockages within their digestive system and eventual death.

Avoid sea turtle products

Survey Sea Turtles

Conducting surveys (nesting surveys, by-catch surveys, sighting surveys) and submitting the data can help researchers gain insight of sea turtle populations spatially and temporally.

Use Reusable Bottles, Straws and Utensils

Instead of using plastic bottles, disposable plastic straws and utensils, bring your own bottle, use stainless steel and paper straws and bring your own utensils (forks, knives, spoons and chopsticks)

Educate People About Sea Turtle Conservation

Now that you know about what can be done to help sea turtles, educate your friends and people around you about this issue