US Environmentalists: Protect loggerhead sea turtles

H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press, Yahoo News 15 Nov 07;

Two environmental groups are asking the Interior Department to declare loggerhead sea turtles that inhabit the Atlantic coast officially endangered, maintaining that tens of thousands of the turtles are killed annually by commercial fishing and because of coastal development.

The loggerhead sea turtle already is classified as "threatened" under the federal Endangered Species Act, but environmentalists say a higher level of protection is needed for the turtles that nest primarily along the southern Atlantic coast and to some extent off the Gulf coast of Florida.

Oceana, a sea life advocacy group, and the Center for Biological Diversity will file a petition with the Interior Department and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Thursday asking that the Western Atlantic Sea Turtle be declared a sub-specie and officially endangered.

The designation would provide the turtle and its habitat increased protection under the Endangered Species Act.

"Loggerhead sea turtles in the western Atlantic are in grave peril. ... Their numbers have plummeted to historic lows," says the petition, a copy of which was provided to The Associated Press.

Elizabeth Griffin, a marine wildlife scientist at Oceana, said the biggest threat to the turtle comes from commercial and sport fishing as turtles often are caught in nets, fishing lines and other devices. The petition says turtles also are killed by ingesting refuse from plastic items to balloons.

Griffin said the turtles nest primarily along the Atlantic coast from Florida to the Carolinas but they migrate as far north as New England. It's uncertain how many turtles there are, but a recent government report said tens of thousands of them are killed every year when caught in fishery nets and lines.

Commercial fishing is the single greatest human threat to the turtles but they also have been harmed by coastal development, which has deprived them of beach habitat and disturbed their nesting, the petition says.

Among the disturbing trends cited by the environmental groups is that loggerhead nesting in South Florida has declined by 39.5 percent since 1998.

The loggerhead sea turtle can grow to as big as 3 1/2 feet in length and weigh 400 pounds and live 30 years or more. Its population has been in decline for decades. The turtle was declared "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act in 1978.

While its population has been declining, Griffin said the actual number of turtles along the Atlantic coast is unclear. "That's a huge problem," she said in an interview, adding that if the government doesn't know how many there are it can't set a number that it considers acceptable to be killed.

The environmental groups argue in their petition that climate change may put the loggerhead in yet more peril. If sea levels rise along coasts where there is development, beaches the turtles use for nesting may disappear and even a 1 degree temperature increase could significantly affect their reproduction, said Griffin.

"We need to ensure that there are robust and resilient populations of sea turtles that will be able to withstand the new and potentially deadly challenges of climate change," she said.

Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service both have jurisdiction over the Endangered Species Act. Action on the turtle involves both agencies.

US Groups Seek Protection for Loggerhead Turtles
Jim Loney, PlanetArk 16 Nov 07

MIAMI - Loggerhead sea turtles in US Atlantic waters face extinction from commercial fishing and global warming and should be designated an endangered species, two environmental groups said on Thursday.

The ocean conservation group Oceana and the Center for Biological Diversity are petitioning the US government to win better protection for loggerhead habitats and nesting beaches along the US Eastern Seaboard.

The petition to be filed on Thursday with the US Commerce Department and the Department of the Interior serves as a warning that the groups could sue the US government if it fails to act to protect the species.

Loggerhead nest counts in Florida have dropped nearly 50 percent in the last decade, according to Florida's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

At the Archie Carr wildlife refuge, one of the key Florida loggerhead nesting areas, nest counts dropped from 15,645 in 2001 to 10,828 in 2006, and appear to be down again this year.

Under US law, an endangered species is "in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range," while a threatened species is "likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future."

Of the six sea turtle species in US waters, the hawksbill, leatherback, Kemp's Ridley and green are listed as endangered and the Olive Ridley and loggerhead are threatened.

A recent five-year study by the National Marine Fisheries Service concluded that the designation "threatened" should be maintained for the loggerhead.

Tens of thousands of loggerheads are killed yearly in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico by commercial fishermen, who snare turtles incidentally while going after other species, Oceana said.

"With 90 percent of the US nesting occurring in Florida and a 50 percent decline in nesting over the last decade, it's quite possible these populations will become extinct," said Elizabeth Griffin, a marine scientist at Oceana.

The loggerhead, which can live a century or more, is among the largest of the sea turtle species. They can grow to about 3 1/2 feet (1.07 metres) and weigh up to 400 pounds (181 kg).

Although loggerhead populations are being decimated by commercial fishing, scientists believe global warming is a greater ongoing threat to loggerheads, said Miyoko Sakashita of the Center for Biological Diversity.

Rising sea levels could destroy Florida nesting beaches, and rising temperatures could dramatically tilt the balance of male and female turtles, endangering the species' reproductive abilities.

"Turtles' gender is determined by temperature. In warmer weather there are fewer males born," she said. "The gender could be skewed toward females. With just a few extra degrees of temperature you get almost all females born." (Editing by Michael Christie and Eric Walsh)

Feds take step toward protecting turtles
David Briscoe, Associated Press, Yahoo News 17 Nov 07;

The federal government is considering listing loggerhead sea turtles that live along California's coast and off Hawaii as an endangered species and further protecting their habitat.

Loggerhead turtles everywhere are already classified as "threatened" under the federal Endangered Species Act, but environmentalists say a higher level of protection is needed.

The decision by the National Marine Fisheries Service to consider an upgraded definition for North Pacific loggerheads was published Friday in the Federal Registry.

A day earlier, two East Coast environmental groups petitioned the Interior Department and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to take a similar step with another variety of loggerhead sea turtles along the Atlantic Coast. Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service both have jurisdiction over the Endangered Species Act.

No action has been announced on that petition, which would declare the Western Atlantic Sea Turtle a subspecies. Environmentalists have used the federal act to protect specific threatened groups within the same species.

It's uncertain how many loggerheads there are, but advocates say tens of thousands are killed annually by commercial fishing and coastal development on both U.S. coasts.

Pacific fisheries managers, however, say great strides have been made in protecting Pacific loggerheads in recent years, both in the Pacific and on Japanese beaches where they nest. Besides California and Hawaii, the turtles also migrate to Mexico.

The Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network, which seek to increase turtle protection worldwide, petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service in July to consider the upgraded designation for Pacific loggerheads. The Federal Registry publication calls for public comments by Jan. 15.

The petitioners estimate loggerheads have declined by more than 80 percent, with fewer than 1,000 female loggerheads returning to nest each year.

"The survival of loggerheads will depend on preventing sea turtles from drowning in fishing gear," said Miyoko Sakashita, ocean program attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. "The decision to consider listing the loggerheads as endangered marks a first step toward heightened protections in the Pacific."

Eric Kingma, an environmental coordinator for the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, which oversees Pacific island fisheries from Honolulu, said he was "somewhat surprised" by the move because a five-year review of loggerheads was recently completed.

"We have significantly reduced sea turtle interactions in our fishery," Kingma said, adding that most of the destruction of sea turtles is off the coast of Mexico, where thousands of loggerheads have died.

Environmental groups have been working for years to grant special protection to the loggerheads. They blame longline fishing, which uses hook-laden fish lines as long as 60 miles through areas where the turtles swim. The target is swordfish or tuna, but thousands of turtles, seabirds, marine animals and sharks are snagged by the lines.

Turtles also are threatened by global warming, according to the environmental groups, with coastal erosion from rising seas threatening nesting beaches and skewing the ratio of females and males. More females hatch when temperatures increase, they say.

Recent articles

Florida loggerhead turtle nests drop in 2007
Yahoo News 6 Nov 07;

Oceana: http://www.oceana.org
Center for Biological Diversity: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/