Sea Turtle Protection and Conservation
Sea turtles are graceful saltwater reptiles, well adapted to life in their marine world. With streamlined bodies and flipper-like limbs, they are graceful swimmers able to navigate across the oceans. When they are active, sea turtles must swim to the ocean surface to breathe every few minutes. When they are resting, they can remain underwater for much longer periods of time. Although sea turtles live most of their lives in the ocean, adult females must return to land in order to lay their eggs. Sea turtles often travel long distances from their feeding grounds to their nesting beaches. Scientists are studying how sea turtles find their nesting beaches.
Sea Turtle Protection
All six species of sea turtles in the U.S. are protected under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 . Through interagency coordination under Section 7 of the ESA, sea turtles are protected by ensuring that Federal actions will not jeopardize the continued existence of the species. Successful consultations have been conducted with the Minerals Management Service for oil and gas activities, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for dredging activities, the U.S. Navy for explosives testing, the Environmental Protection Agency for the designation of dredged material disposal sites, and many other Federal agencies for activities ranging from nuclear power plant construction to scientific research.One of the most important ways NMFS acts to protect sea turtles is through requiring trawl fishermen to use Turtle Excluder Devices while fishing.
Recovery plans have been finalized for all of the sea turtles found in US waters. These plans are available for review at our
recovery plan page.Proceedings of the Symposia on Sea Turtle Conservation and Biology
Strategy for Sea Turtle Conservation and Recovery in Relation to Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico Fisheries
Loggerhead Turtle – NMFS received a petition to reclassify the northern and Florida panhandle subpopulations of the loggerhead as distinct population segments with endangered status and to designate critical habitat.
Because sea turtles nest on land, responsibility for their conservation is shared between NMFS and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).Reports and Publications
Executive Summary of the International Technical Expert Workshop on Marine Turtle
Bycatch in Longline Fisheries Held in Seattle, WA, 11-13 February 2003
Assessment Update for the Kemp’s Ridley and Loggerhead Sea Turtle Populations in the Western North Atlantic. A Report of the Turtle Expert Working Group. NOAA Tech Memo NMFS-SEFSC-444 (2000-56MB THIS IS A VERY LARGE FILE)
An Assessment of the Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) Sea Turtle Populations in the Western North Atlantic. A Report of the Turtle Expert Working Group. NOAA Tech Memo NMFS-SEFSC-409 (1998 – 18.1MB)
Contingency Plan to Reduce Shrimp Trawler Related Mortality to the Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) (1995)
Evaluation of TED Opening Dimensions Relative to Size of Turtles Stranding in the Western North Atlantic. NMFS-SEFSC-PRD-98/99-08 (1998/99 – 352kb)
Evaluation of a Fisheries Model for the Harvest of Hawksbill Sea Turtles, Eretmochelys imbicata, in Cuba. NMFS-OPR-5, 48 p. (September 1995)
Pelagic Longline Fishery – Sea Turtle Interactions: Proceedings of an Industry, Academic and Government Experts, and Stakeholders Workshop Held in Silver Spring, MD, 24-25 May 1994. NMFS-OPR-7, 77 p. (February 1996) (1.4MB)
Proceedings of the Symposia on Sea Turtle Conservation and Biology