Are sea turtles in need of help?

Yes, they are very much in need of help. From the time the mother lays her eggs, there are animals (very often humans) which try to kill the newly-hatched "hatchlings." One part of the problem is that animals (especially birds) which lay eggs or live on beaches are losing their habitat -- especially to wealthy humans, who buy an acre or two, then clear the sand of any animal habitation -- sometimes even removing the dune grass. When turtles are caught in the net of a commercial boat they are not thrown back into the water -- they are killed. As far as I can see, except that they eat plankton, they do no harm to people, or to the environment. One of their weaknesses is that they trust humans too much.