The U.S. Postal Service has introduced new Protect Sea Turtles Forever stamps to raise awareness about the challenges faced by sea turtles. The dedication ceremony for these stamps took place at the Texas State Aquarium, and the initiative is being promoted with the hashtag #ProtectSeaTurtlesStamps.
David Camp, USPS Texas 2 District manager, highlighted the ecological importance of sea turtles, emphasizing that the stamps serve as a reminder of the need to contribute to their conservation. The six stamps feature different species of sea turtles that rely on U.S. coastal waters for foraging and migration during their lives. All featured species are protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Sea turtles are among the oldest animal groups on Earth, spending most of their lives in the ocean and coming ashore mainly to lay eggs. There are seven species of sea turtles worldwide, all of which share traits such as being streamlined for ocean life, cold-blooded, air-breathing, and egg-laying on land. However, they face significant threats, including accidental capture in fishing gear, habitat loss, artificial lighting on beaches, boat strikes, and illegal harvesting. Climate change further exacerbates these issues by affecting nesting beaches and hatchling sex ratios.
Efforts to mitigate these threats involve federal, state, and international agencies and organizations. Individuals can also contribute by choosing turtle-safe seafood, minimizing beachfront lighting during nesting seasons, avoiding disturbances at nesting sites, and boating at safe speeds.
Dr. Shannon Bettridge from NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Protected Resources emphasized that all sea turtle species in the U.S. are endangered or threatened and face various human threats and climate change impacts. The Protect Sea Turtles stamps aim to raise public awareness and engage individuals in conservation efforts.
The stamps feature photographs of six sea turtle species: Kemp’s ridley, leatherback, olive ridley, green sea turtle, loggerhead, and hawksbill. The photographs were taken by Doug Perrine, Rowan Byrne, Solvin Zankl, David B. Fleetham, James D. Watt, and Claudio Contreras, respectively. The stamp pane, designed by USPS art director Derry Noyes, consists of 18 stamps.