Text and photos by Peter Vankevich
Adult loggerhead sea turtles typically weigh between 170 and 350 pounds with a lifespan of around 50 years. Part of their diet includes jellyfish and squid.
Loggerheads can mistake released balloons and clear plastics in the sea as food and ingest them.
This causes blockages in their digestive systems, leading to malnutrition, internal injuries and even death.
Additionally, the toxic chemicals found in plastics can further harm loggerhead sea turtles, compromising their immune systems and reproductive capacities.
When walking on the beach, bring a bag with you and if you come across released balloons and plastics like shrink wrap, pick them up and dispose of them where they cannot make their way back to the sea.
Picking up plastics on the beach can help mitigate the threat posed to loggerhead sea turtles and other marine life.
Every piece of plastic removed from the beach is one fewer piece of harmful debris that could end up in the bellies of marine animals. It also makes the beach nicer.
If you are on vacation here and have become familiar with the amazing success story of nesting sea turtles, when you return home spread the word for folks not to release helium balloons. Balloons from as far away as Indiana and Ohio can make their way to the island and out to sea where they can cause the death of sea turtles and other aquatic animals.
By raising awareness, we can help save the lives of loggerhead sea turtles. There are many alternatives for celebrations or commemorations than releasing balloons.
As of Aug. 29, there have been 100 sea turtle nests on Ocracoke with 26 already hatched. The entire Cape Hatteras National Seashore has 299 sea turtle nests with 106 nests hatched. These nests are all loggerheads except for two leatherback, four green, and one Kemp’s ridley.
