Written by Sarah Paulin
Every species of sea turtle is considered either endangered or threatened.
They are an essential part of their ecosystems and the loss of any sea turtle species would greatly effect humans. They are one of the only animals that eats sea grass, besides manatees, which are also threatened. Sea grass must be kept short to remain healthy and provide an environment for many other sea creatures to breed, nest, and survive. If sea turtles were to decrease any more in population size and go extinct, a chain reaction would occur and many of the marine species humans depend on for economic and nutritional purposes would no longer exist.
Dangers to sea turtles include ocean pollution and fishing. Like with any other species, ocean pollution refers not only to physical trash, such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but chemical pollution as well. Since sea turtles breathe oxygen, pollutants such as oil and harsh chemicals that sit on the surface of the ocean can get into their eyes and nostrils. Their number one source of food, sea grass, is also negatively effected by oil and is becoming less plentiful. Nesting season is when sea turtles are most vulnerable. Eggs and hatchlings are at risk of injury, deformity, and death from contaminated beaches and plastic debris.
Sea turtles that are accidentally caught in fishing lines is one of the most common causes of death for both the young and old. Usually the turtle is drowned because they have become tangled in the net and are not able to surface for air. Active fishing long-lines as well as lost or abandoned nets all contribute to the increasing death toll of sea turtles. Other plastics can trap baby sea turtles and constrain them as they grow, causing deformities and eliminating that particular organism from breeding.
By incorporating new, more environmentally friendly methods of fishing that does not have such a negative effect on non-target animals, sea turtles might stand a chance for survival. For conservation purposes, it is important to maintain clean beaches for nesting mothers. This is the most effective way of tracking and estimating population numbers since juveniles and males do not come ashore and are considered difficult to count. The long lifespan of sea turtles as well as their wide-ranging migrations can produce misleading information to researchers. By maintaining an accurate population number, conservation efforts will be more effective and more can be done to prevent these essential marine creatures from perishing.
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1944: Camano Class Light Cargo Ship was laid down for the US Army as FS-289 at Wheeler Shipbuilding in Whitestone, NY.
1945: Delivered to US Army.
1950: Acquired by the US Navy on July 1, 1950 and placed in service as USNS New Bedford (T-AKL-17).
1954: The movie, Mister Roberts, was made on the USNS New Bedford (T-AKL-17).
1955 - 1963: Used as a cargo supply ship for the Texas Towers, a network of advanced radar stations located off the Eastern Seaboard. In 1957, Capt. Sixto Mangual was commander of the AKL-17 and in 1961 it was rechristened the USNS New Bedford. The New Bedford, sailing out of State Pier, was keeping vigil when Texas Tower No. 4 callapsed off the New Jersey coast during a January 1961 nor'easter.
1963: Reclassified as Miscellaneous Unclassified (IX-308).
1971: The New Bedford (IX-308) served as a Torpedo Test Firing Vessel in the Puget Sound area.
1994: Ceremony in New Bedford.
1995: The ship was struck from the Naval Register on April 4.
2004: The Sea Bird's current disposition is a tuna long liner (fishing boat) out of San Diego, CA.
2006: Design of the Tesla Turbine began on June 11, 2006. The Sea Bird was sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service for commercial service.
2007: The Sea Bird was drydocked for renovations.
2008: The Sea Bird setting sail to Sea-Tac in Seattle, WA.
2009 - 2010: The Sea Bird is currently docked at Seattle Sea-Tac.
