Loggerhead Sea Turtles Threatened With Extinction

All loggerhead sea turtle nesting subpopulations in the North Atlantic with trend data available are declining according to a new study released yesterday by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This includes sea turtles that nest in the United States, Caribbean and along the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. The study, a five-year status review for loggerhead sea turtles required by the Endangered Species Act, confirms what Oceana has been telling the federal government for the past five years. The federal agencies admit for the first time that uA…aˆ?the most significant man-made factor affecting conservation and recovery of the loggerhead is incidental capture in commercial and artisanal fisheries.uA‚A? Tens of thousands of loggerhead sea turtles are killed annually in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico by destructive fishing gear, including trawls, gillnets and longlines. Loggerheads also are captured and killed by commercial fisheries that use hook and line, seines, dredges and various types of pots and traps...