Cleaner Waters Are Helping Sea Turtles Thrive

Water quality improvements across Brazil are helping sea turtles get healthier.

“Many of these turtles are recaptured and we can assess whether they’ve grown, whether they’re heavier, whether they’ve lost weight, whether they have more tumors or fewer tumors,” says Kassia Coelho, a professor of veterinary pathological anataomy at the Federal Fluminense University.

Due to poor water quality in Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay, scientists discovered a tumor disease affecting sea turtles in the region. The disease restricted the turtles’ movement, sight and feeding, ultimately leading to their death. Unfortunately, due to years of sewage and other garbage being dumped in the water, researchers revealed that staggering three-quarters of all sea turtles living in the bay suffered from life-threatening tumors. Conservationists called for an urgent call of action, ultimately leading to $356.42 million invested in the area. Thankfully, the sea turtles are responding positively to their newly cleaned environment.