Reflection

My art piece depicts the massive effect on marine species if we continue to damage our oceans. In the center, a green sea turtle is shown; surrounding it, is fish, krill, a crab, and the ocean floor. Currently, turtles are one of the most threatened sea creatures. Not only do they often accidentally consume littered plastics and garbage, but poaching, as well as commercial fishing and illegal sea turtle shell trade is common. Climate change, marine pollution, oil spills, and beach erosion also endanger these species’ livelihood. The ocean is a place of balance and the green sea turtle plays a very crucial role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem for other organisms. A main part of sea turtles’ diet is sea grass. Every day, sea turtles feed on sea grass, cutting them shorter. This way, the sea grass stays healthy and will not grow out of control. This is tremendously important for the marine animals living in areas with sea grass or sea beds, such as crustaceans, fish, krill, etc. Without the turtles’ consumption of sea grass, the habitat for these animals will become dangerous. We can easily conserve sea turtle’s lives by picking up trash and being more conscience of the items we chose to use.