Using DNA to protect sea turtles

Four sea turtles swim around a coral reef in the Galapagos

Illegal trade poses an enormous threat to sea turtles, which are trafficked for their meat, eggs, shells, and other parts. And stopping it isn’t easy. Because sea turtles generally venture thousands of miles from their nesting sites to their foraging grounds, researchers struggle to identify which populations are targeted and where they’re most at risk. But now WWF’s ShellBank, the world’s first global database of sea turtle DNA, is helping to disrupt that illicit international trade.

DNA strand© ISTOCK.COM/CNYTHZL

The ShellBank database includes >13,000 samples from more than 50 countries

Female sea turtles return to the same beach where they hatched to lay eggs, passing along a genetic signature unique to each nesting population. By extracting that DNA from seized turtles or turtle products and matching it to ShellBank’s reference database—comprised of samples from sea turtles and confiscated items—authorities can track and trace trade routes and trafficked turtles’ origins. That data can help identify poaching hotspots and determine where to increase conservation efforts.

As ShellBank’s database grows and evolves, its creators hope the resource will also help pinpoint which populations are impacted by bycatch and overexploitation, enabling better monitoring and protection of these ecologically important marine species.

 

6 out of 7
SEA TURTLE SPECIES are threatened with extinction,
mainly due to bycatch, overexploitation, pollution, climate change impacts, and illegal trade

SEA TURTLES © DAWN WITHERINGTON

Green turtle

GREEN TURTLE
Chelonia mydas

Olive Ridley turtle

OLIVE RIDLEY
Lepidochelys olivacea

Loggerhead turtle

LOGGERHEAD
Caretta caretta

Hawksbill turtle

HAWKSBILL
Eretmochelys imbricata

Leatherback turtle

LEATHERBACK
Dermochelys coriacea

Kemp's Ridley turtle

KEMP’S RIDLEY
Lepidochelys kempii

Flatback turtle

FLATBACK*
Natator depressus

*Only flatback sea turtles are not listed as threatened by the IUCN, since there’s insufficient data to assess the species’ risk of extinction.

Baby turtle hatching from egg

Over the past 30 years, at least 1.1 million sea turtles (excluding shell products and eggs) have been illegally exploited in 65 countries; 22% of those sea turtles were likely traded internationally.

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World Wildlife magazine provides an inspiring, in-depth look at the connections between animals, people and our planet. Published quarterly by WWF, the magazine helps make you a part of our efforts to solve some of the most pressing issues facing the natural world.

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