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Tighter Turtle Protections Eyed
Editors Note-
This could be a possible necessary step in the conservation of loggerheads. We will follow this story as it progresses.
Loggerhead sea turtles of the southeastern United States might soon receive a higher level of protection.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is seeking public comment on whether loggerheads of the western North Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, should be classified as a “distinct population segment.’’
In other words, the loggerhead sea turtle, which nests on Southwest Florida beaches May through October, is listed as a threatened species worldwide, but if the western North Atlantic population is designated a distinct population, it could be listed as endangered independent of the world’s other loggerhead populations.
A distinct population segment is a group of a particular species separated from other groups of the same species and is significant to the species as a whole.
“I certainly think they need to be looking at what’s going on with loggerheads: There’s been a significant decline in loggerhead nesting numbers in Florida,” said Anne Meylan, a research administrator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “What they do when they change the status is look on an individual population basis rather than saying all loggerheads are this or all loggerheads are that and determine whether our loggerheads need different management.”
Four endangered sea turtle species also nest on Florida beaches — leatherback, hawksbill, green and Kemp’s ridley — but the loggerhead is by far the most common sea turtle in Florida.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is seeking public comment on whether loggerheads of the western North Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, should be classified as a “distinct population segment.’’
In other words, the loggerhead sea turtle, which nests on Southwest Florida beaches May through October, is listed as a threatened species worldwide, but if the western North Atlantic population is designated a distinct population, it could be listed as endangered independent of the world’s other loggerhead populations.
A distinct population segment is a group of a particular species separated from other groups of the same species and is significant to the species as a whole.
“I certainly think they need to be looking at what’s going on with loggerheads: There’s been a significant decline in loggerhead nesting numbers in Florida,” said Anne Meylan, a research administrator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “What they do when they change the status is look on an individual population basis rather than saying all loggerheads are this or all loggerheads are that and determine whether our loggerheads need different management.”
Four endangered sea turtle species also nest on Florida beaches — leatherback, hawksbill, green and Kemp’s ridley — but the loggerhead is by far the most common sea turtle in Florida.
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