- Don’t frighten or harass turtles at sea or on land. Approach quietly. Be respectful.
- Don’t shine lights at turtles, overturn or ride turtles, disturb nests, or collect eggs or hatchlings.
- Don’t purchase turtle products (menu items, jewelry, leather, cosmetics), and remember that international law prevents the transport of sea turtle parts and products across national borders.
- Check fishing nets frequently to ensure that turtles are not accidentally caught and drowned.
- Sea turtles must surface to breathe! Watch for them, they can be struck and killed by propeller-driven vessels, sail boats, and personal thrill-craft.
- Because lighting can disorient egg-bearing females and their young, leading them inland and away from the sea, please turn off, shield or redirect lights so they don’t shine on the beach.
- Avoid driving on sandy beaches. Incubating eggs can be crushed by vehicles, and tire ruts trap newborn hatchlings.
- Don’t leave lounge chairs, sailboats, and other obstructions on nesting beaches at night.
- Safeguard natural vegetation. Vegetation stabilizes sandy beaches, helps to protect the shoreline from erosion, and provides sheltered nesting sites.
- Protect feeding areas by not discarding plastic or other waste at sea; never anchor on coral reefs or seagrass, or touch living coral when diving.
- Don’t litter! Discarded cans and bottles are unsightly and can cause injury to nesting and hatching sea turtles . . . and plastic bags, mistaken for jellyfish, can make turtles sick.
- Support management based on best practices, including maximum size limits, seasonal closures that fully encompass breeding periods, and moratoria when necessary.
- Support sustainable non-consumptive alternatives to harvest, again based on best practices.
- Support (and participate in!) sea turtle conservation, basic research, and long-term population monitoring.
- Report violations of regulations that protect turtles, their eggs and young, and the habitats they depend upon for survival.
- Contact the authorities if a sea turtle is found sick or injured.
- Please share this information with your friends and family!