Hi lovelies, I’m Leia! I’m originally from Florida, but you could say I’m somewhat of a world traveler. I rarely stay in one place for long – there is just too much to do and see out there in the ocean! During my travels, I have seen a lot of amazing things, and some not so amazing things, like commercial trawl fisheries. Trawl fisheries are big boats that drag giant nets behind them, catching all kinds of creatures. What if I got tangled up in one of these fishing nets during the Tour de Turtles?! Then I wouldn’t even be able to finish the race! I’d hate to disappoint my fans and sponsors at Wildlife Collections. To make sure turtles like me don’t get trapped in these dangerous nets, it’s important to only eat sustainably sourced seafood and to support companies and countries that use Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) on trawl boats. That way, I can continue living my dream and traveling the globe! I’d really appreciate your help in spreading the word about the dangers of trawl fisheries to your families and friends. If I win this whole thing, I’ll treat everyone to a nice dinner of some sustainable seafood!

I was named by my Sponsor, fahlo. Check out my marathon migration map, where you can follow along as I swim to raise awareness about the threat of Commercial Trawl Fisheries to sea turtles. Please help me raise awareness about my cause by supporting me!

Learn more about loggerhead sea turtles.