It’s been 30 years since I last touched this beach.
My name is Peggy, and when I was just a tiny loggerhead hatchling -barely the size of your palm- I scrambled out of the warm sand and made a desperate dash to the sea. I remember the grit between my flippers, the ghost crab that almost snagged me, the hungry bird circling overhead. And then… the smell of salt. The call of the ocean. I made it. Barely. But I made it.
Now, decades later, I return- not as a vulnerable hatchling, but as a mother. I’ve traveled thousands of kilometers, navigating mysterious currents and oceanic highways to return to the very beach where my story began. It’s my turn to lay my eggs, to start the next chapter in this ancient cycle of life. But what if the beach I once called home is no longer there?
This is not just Peggy’s story – it’s the story of countless sea turtles, who can take up to 35 years to mature and return to nest on the beaches where they were born. Imagine spending three decades at sea only to return and find a seawall, a hotel, or a road where your nesting site once stood.
More Than Just a Pretty Shell
Tourists flock to the tropics, dreaming of that magical moment – spotting a sea turtle gliding gracefully through the reef. Maybe it’s their big, soulful eyes or their slow, gentle movements, but something about turtles makes people smile. They’re symbols of wisdom, resilience, and peace across cultures.
But sea turtles are more than cute. They are cultural icons, economic boosters through ecotourism, and powerful flagship species for marine conservation. Their very presence inspires curiosity, creativity, and connection. In a world often too fast-paced to pause, sea turtles remind us to slow down and keep going. To persevere.
They teach us patience. Determination. The power of returning home.
When Progress Becomes a Threat
The biggest threat to sea turtles isn’t natural predators – it’s us. Coastal development continues to destroy critical nesting beaches. These slow-reproducing creatures may only nest once every few years, and by the time they return, their beach may be gone.
Without protected and accessible beaches, the next generation of sea turtles won’t stand a chance. Their population will decline – and with them, a part of our ocean’s soul.
But there is hope.
Sea turtles and humans can coexist. Thoughtful coastal development, fisheries and beach management, and marine-friendly tourism practices can protect nesting areas while also supporting local economies. Tourists love turtles – and that love can fuel the protection they desperately need.
One Ocean, Many Nations
Sea turtles don’t recognize borders. They swim through the waters of multiple countries as part of their life cycle – feeding in one, nesting and mating in yet another. This makes regional and international collaboration essential.
MarAlliance is studying turtle migrations -particularly those of male sea turtles, whose movements remain largely a mystery- using satellite tracking technology. While females lay the eggs, males play an equally vital role in reproduction. Yet, little is known about where they travel or how they contribute to the broader population. Understanding these transboundary migration patterns is critical, as no single country can protect them alone.
How Can You Help?
The choices we make today will determine whether turtles like Peggy will be able to return home tomorrow.
Neca Marcovaldi, a Brazilian sea turtle biologist, once commented that we need to “be patient; sea turtles have long life cycles, and significant time is needed to accomplish any goal and see results—think in terms of sea turtle generations” (SWOT, “Neca Marcovaldi,” State of the World’s Sea Turtles, www.seaturtlestatus.org/legends/neca-marcovaldi. Accessed 16 July 2025).
Let’s make sure that when the next Peggy comes ashore, the beach is still there – and so is the welcome.
What you can do:
- Support sea turtle conservation organizations.
- Choose eco-conscious accommodations when traveling.
- Encourage sustainable coastal development in your community.
- Share Peggy’s story, because awareness is the first step to action.
Although our turtle tracking work has primarily focused on male turtles due to the global dearth of knowledge in this turtle demographic, we have tagged several other females of two species: Loggerheads – such as Peggy -, and Hawksbill turtles. All animals were tagged in Belize and several have swum to neighboring or nearby countries, but none that we have recorded have ventured outside of Central America. So, while the long-distance migration of female turtles to their natal beaches for nesting is well-documented, Peggy’s trajectory defies expectations, surprising everyone, as it marks the first documented instance, to our team’s knowledge, of a tagged sea turtle migrating from Belize to the United States.
Yet, Peggy is but one chapter in MarAlliance’s ongoing quest to unravel the secrets of marine megafauna. Join us on this journey as we delve into the depths of marine wildlife monitoring, filling the gaps in knowledge and fostering a deeper understanding of our marine world, by following our different tagged animals in the field.
