Endangered listing eyed for US loggerhead turtles

By JAY LINDSAY, Associated Press Writer Jay Lindsay, Associated Press Writer – Thu Mar 11, 12:29 am ET

The massive, nomadic sea turtles have been listed since 1978 as threatened, a step below endangered, but federal scientists proposed ratcheting up the designation after reviewing the state of the species.

The joint proposal by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration‘s fisheries division and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is not a final decision. If approved, it puts loggerheads on track for an endangered listing by the summer of 2011. The proposal now enters a public comment period.

"I think it‘s huge day for loggerhead sea turtles," said Elizabeth Griffin, a marine wildlife scientist at Oceana. "I think it really draws attention to the fact these turtles are not doing well and more needs to be done to protect them."

Griffin cites a 40 percent drop in the number of nesting females in Florida over the last decade as evidence of trouble. But the Fisheries Survival Fund, an East Coast scallopers group, said in a letter early this month that nesting beach surveys can‘t provide good evidence of decline because they measure only mature females, who take at least 30 years to reach breeding age.

"We are extremely disappointed that they‘ve taken this approach," he said.

Barbara Schroeder, national sea turtle coordinator for NOAA‘s fisheries division, said the biggest threats to the North Pacific loggerhead include damage to primary nesting sites, which are mainly in Japan, as well as accidental snaring of the turtles in fishing gear.

On the East Coast, the main threat to turtles is gear from the region‘s various fisheries, Schroeder said.

A primary benefit of the endangered status would be increased public pressure on protecting the species, Griffin said. But the government would also have to determine "critical habitats," such as where the turtles reproduce or forage. Such places could be subject to additional protections for the turtles, including restrictions on maritime development or fishing.

"I think that really gives people an appreciation for our turtles and marine life," she said.



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