Sea Turtles

Sea turtles belong to the taxonomic Class reptilia.

Fast Fact: Female turtles return to the same beach where they were born to deposit their eggs.

Sea turtles have limbs modified into flippers that make them strong swimmers and allow them to move along beaches. Unlike freshwater turtles and tortoises, sea turtles cannot pull their limbs and head inside their shell for protection. All species of sea turtles have a hard shell, or carapace, except for the leatherback sea turtle, which has a soft leathery carapace. Sea turtles spend parts of their lives on coastal beaches, in coastal waters, and the deeper parts of the ocean.

Female sea turtles dig nests and lay their eggs on beaches. After a period of incubation, hatchlings quickly make their way to the ocean upon emerging from the nest. It is believed that young turtles spend their first years floating in offshore beds of sargasso seaweed that follow large ocean currents. When turtles reach the approximate size of a dinner plate they begin to appear in coastal feeding areas. In general, it takes 15 to 20 years for a sea turtle to reach reproductive maturity. The life expectancy of sea turtles is unknown but it is theorized that some species can live to reach 100 years or more.  

There are 3 species of sea turtle found most frequently in Canadian waters:

• Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea)
• Loggerhead (Caretta caretta)
• Green (Chelonia mydas)

Leatherbacks, loggerheads and green are migratory sea turtles that breed in tropical or subtropical waters and move to temperate waters in search of food at other times of the year. Both species travel along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America. This migratory behavior creates a challenge in relation to conservation efforts.

Conservation

There are conservation efforts around the globe to help sea turtles. Human activities are the primary cause of declines in global sea turtle populations.  Activities that directly or indirectly threaten sea turtles and their habitats, include:
 

• targeted capture of turtles and turtle eggs
• accidental capture as fisheries bycatch
• entanglement in fishing gear
• pollution
• habitat destruction and alteration

In Canada, a key challenge for conservation efforts of sea turtles is a general scarcity of information regarding the species’ biology, distribution, habitat preferences and threats to the populations. As further information is collected and international efforts move forward, conservation efforts for sea turtles will be enhanced. Fortunately, there are opportunities to link sea turtle conservation activities with those for cetaceans, especially in the development of networks for reporting sightings and for observers on fishing vessels.

Presently, Canada has both transient Pacific and Atlantic populations of leatherback sea turtles listed as Endangered under the Canadian Species at Risk Act.

The DFO supported Marine Mammal Response Program provides conservation support for sea turtles through its responses to strandings and entanglements.

Species of Sea Turtles found in Canadian Waters

• Green (Chelonia mydas)
• Loggerhead (Caretta caretta)
• Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea)

More information on Sea turtles:

• Frequently asked questions
• Leatherback Turtle - Fact Sheet