Using DNA to protect sea turtles

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.

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.