These procedures are followed prior to and during the surveying/drilling phase so we can avoid any collision with the vessel, reduce sound exposure and any accidental entanglement with the seabed frame. Of course, as a specialist in offshore geotechnical site investigations, Geoquip Marine goes to great lengths to mitigate our impact on the marine environment and the species in the waters around our vessels. More than 20 encounters with the Leatherback – the largest of all living turtles – were also registered during the same set of operations. Interestingly, a significant amount of the sea turtles’ occurrences took place during night time periods, which suggests these curious reptiles may have been attracted to the vessel’s light emissions.ĭuring our Empire & Beacon Wind projects in 2021/2022, a total of eight Kemp’s Ridley turtles – the rarest of all sea turtles – were visually sighted. These individuals usually come close to our vessel – usually within 50 metres or so – and included behaviours such as short bouts of sea surfacing followed by long deep dives beneath the waves. Most of the sightings myself and the rest of the PSOs operating across the Geoquip Marine fleet have had with sea turtles involved only a single adult in each instance. That occurrence of other species is good news for these marine creatures as an adult Leatherback can eat up to 700kg to 1 ton of jelly fish a day! Recorded occurrences of sea turtles would often go down when shark sighting was evidenced, but outside of these instances, sightings were often followed by algae blooms and the appearance of myriad squids and jelly fishes. Sea turtles are highly migratory in nature, and according to field annotations and observations, they use the coastal area around New York and Massachusetts as their feeding ground during the spring and summer months. Of those six, the Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), the Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and the Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtles are listed as ‘endangered’, while the Loggerhead (Caretta caretta), Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) and Green Ridley (Chelonia mydas) are listed as ‘threatened’. I’m currently stationed onboard the Dina Polaris, an integrated geotechnical survey vessel operating off the East Coast of the United States.Īs of writing, a total of six species of sea turtles have been observed in these US waters, and all are protected under the Endangered Species Act (1976). To mark World Sea Turtle Day 2022, an annual event to raise awareness of sea turtle conservation and preservation efforts, I wanted to share some of my own observations and insights from the deck. However, these ocean wanderers have been found as far north as Alaska and Scotland, as far south as New Zealand and Argentina.Protected Species Observer, Dina Polaris As a PSO (Protected Species Observer) working for Geoquip Marine, I’m fortunate enough to encounter such a variety species of marine life.Īs part of the crew operating onboard the Dina Polaris, I help the company actively mitigate the impact our drilling operations have on the environment and the marine life we encounter – and that includes many species of sea turtle. Sea turtles favour the tropics, and are found in the highest numbers in warmer climates. The smallest types of sea turtles are around 2 feet (60 cm) in length, however, the largest of them all, the leatherback turtle, can reach around 6.5 feet (2 metres). After that, they remain here until they die.ĭue to the demands of the ocean, sea turtles are large. This means male sea turtles will only be outside of the ocean when they are born. Their only respite from the ocean is when they are born and when they go on land to lay eggs. Sea turtles are defined by their environment. While there are over 350 types of turtle, most of these are semi-aquatic animals found in freshwater, rivers and lakes.īut what’s the difference between these 350 species of turtle and the seven types of sea turtle? Types of Sea Turtle: What Makes a Sea Turtle a Sea Turtle? Despite being found all around the world (except the arctic and antarctic regions) they are limited to a surprising finite number of species. This population is spread out across seven types of sea turtle. More pragmatic minds would tell you just over 1 million animals. How many sea turtles are left on our planet? Not enough, some would say.
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