Why is the loggerhead turtle threatened

After mating offshore, they return to the same area for each nesting to lay clutches of eggs on open sandy beaches above the high tide mark. Along the U. Atlantic Coast, the major nesting areas range from Florida to North Carolina, although nesting has been documented as far north as New Jersey with one nesting record from Island Beach State Park. Loggerheads migrate thousands of miles between nesting beaches and feeding grounds.

Female loggerheads become sexually mature between 15 and 30 years. They are reproductively active for about 30 years, but only nest every years. They lay between and eggs per clutch. If a clutch of eggs is laid during a period of warmer temperatures, a higher number of females will hatch, and if laid during cooler periods, a higher number of males will emerge. Out of every thousand hatchlings, only a few will survive to adulthood.

Hatchlings emerge from the nest a few days after hatching, typically during darkness. Once they reach water, males never return to shore, while females only do so to nest. The hatchlings, which are less than 2 inches in size, often float in masses of sea plants sargassum for their first years. From hatchling to adulthood, a loggerhead increases its weight more than 6, times.

Oil spills, habitat degradation such as beach development and collisions with boats present other dangers to the turtles. Loggerhead turtle populations have declined worldwide due to overharvesting of eggs for food, killing of adults and loss of nesting habitat.

A great traveller under threat from fishing fleets. Loggerheads are highly migratory and particularly vulnerable to accidental capture in the nets and long-lines of the world's fisheries. Although Turtle Excluder Devices TED , fitted into shrimp nets in some countries have lessened the threat, the use of these devices is not yet mandatory everywhere.

Longline bycatch mitigation trials are also being conducted in several places across the world, but will they be in time to halt the decline? Female loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta digging a nest. Physical Description. Loggerheads are widely distributed in coastal waters, mainly in subtropical and temperate regions and travel large distances following major warm currents like the Gulf Stream and California Current. The loggerhead turtle is one of the largest cheloniid turtles, and carries more encrusting organisms such as barnacles on its carapace than other marine turtles species.

This species is distinguished mainly by a large head and strong jaws. Colour The carapace shell is a reddish brown and the plastron underbelly is pale yellow.

Breeding The age of sexual maturity has been estimated at between 10 and 30 years but studies in Australia indicate that it may be between 34 and 37 years. Females nest an average of 3 to 5 times per season. Between 40 and eggs are laid per clutch. Data from the USA suggests that nesting takes place about every 2 years. Diet Loggerheads are carnivorous eating bottom dwelling molluscs conches, clams , crabs, urchins and sponges, as well as free swimming jellyfish and seemingly impenetrable prey such as the queen conch.

Current Population and Distribution A recent estimate of the numbers of nesting female loggerheads is more than 60, Masirah Island, Oman appears to support the largest single nesting population, with a minimum of 30, females estimated to nest annually in the s. The second most important region is the southeast USA, where 5, to 15, females nest annually, mainly in Florida.

What are the main threats? The main threats which affect marine turtles are: Habitat loss and degradation Wildlife trade Collection of eggs and meat for consumption Incidental capture bycatch Climate change Pollution The main cause of mortality is attributed to fisheries bycatch, and abandoned drift nets continue to drown loggerheads in unknown numbers.

In the Mediterranean and the USA, habitat loss or disturbance and pollution are the main threats to this species. Atlantic Ocean. Specific areas designated include 38 occupied marine areas within the range of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean DPS of loggerhead turtles. These areas contain combinations of nearshore reproductive habitat, winter areas, breeding areas, migratory corridors, and Sargassum habitat.

View the loggerhead sea turtle critical habitat map. The U. NOAA Fisheries is working to reduce the bycatch of sea turtles in commercial fisheries. Our efforts are focused on documenting bycatch, understanding how, why, and where sea turtles are bycaught, and how to reduce that bycatch. We require these modifications in certain U. Measures include:.

TEDs are required in the shrimp otter trawl fishery and, in early , in larger vessels participating in the skimmer trawl fishery. Since , the United States has prohibited the importation of shrimp harvested in a manner that adversely affects sea turtles. The import ban does not apply to nations that have adopted sea turtle protection programs comparable to that of the U.

Department of State is the principal implementing agency of this law while NOAA Fisheries serves as technical advisor and provides extensive TED training throughout the world. We are also involved in cooperative gear research projects, implementation of changes to gear and fishing practices, and safe handling protocols designed to reduce sea turtle bycatch and mortality in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic pelagic longline fisheries, the American Samoa and Hawaii-based longline fisheries , the Atlantic sea scallop dredge fishery, and non-shrimp trawl fisheries in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.

Bycatch in fishing gear is the primary human-caused source of sea turtle injury and mortality in U. The most effective way to learn about bycatch is to place observers aboard fishing vessels. Observers collect important information that allows us to understand the amount and extent of bycatch, how turtles interact with the gear, and how bycatch reduction measures are working.

NOAA Fisheries determines which fisheries are required to carry observers, if requested to do so, through an annual determination. Observers may also be placed on fishing vessels through our authorities under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

A stranded sea turtle is one that is found on land or in the water and is either dead or is alive but unable to undergo normal activities and behaviors due to an injury, illness, or other problem.

Most strandings are of individual turtles, and thousands are documented annually along the coasts of the United States and its territories. Organized networks of trained stranding responders are authorized to recover dead turtles or assist live turtles and document important information about the causes of strandings.

These networks include federal, state, and private organizations. The actions taken by stranding network participants improve the survival of sick, injured, and entangled turtles while also helping scientists and managers expand their knowledge about threats to sea turtles and causes of mortality.

Because sea turtles spend most of their life at sea and out of sight, information learned from strandings are an important way for us to identify and monitor problems that threaten sea turtle populations. Within the United States and its Territories, there are three regional networks that serve to document and rescue stranded and entanglement sea turtles:.

The actions taken by stranding network participants improve the survivability of sick, injured, and entangled turtles while also helping scientists and managers to expand their knowledge about diseases and other threats that affect sea turtles in the marine environment and on land.

The conservation and recovery of sea turtles requires international cooperation and agreements to ensure the survival of these highly migratory animals. We work closely with partners in many countries across the globe to promote sea turtle conservation and recovery. Two international agreements specifically focused on sea turtle conservation are:.

The loggerhead turtle was first listed under the ESA as threatened throughout its range in The status review provided the scientific basis to revise the ESA listings.

In , we finalized regulations to require turtle excluder devices TEDs in shrimp trawl fisheries to reduce sea turtle bycatch. Since then, we have updated these regulations as new information became available and TEDs were modified to improve their turtle exclusion rates.

TEDs are also required in the summer flounder fishery in certain areas along the Atlantic coast of the United States. We have also implemented other measures to reduce sea turtle bycatch in fisheries through regulations and permits under both the ESA and Magnuson-Stevens Act. These requirements include the use of large circle hooks in longline fisheries, time and area closures for gillnets, and modifications to pound net leaders and Atlantic sea scallop dredges. See all regulations to protect sea turtles.

NOAA Fisheries conducts research on the biology, behavior, and ecology of the loggerhead sea turtle. The results of this research are used to inform management decisions and enhance recovery efforts for the species. TurtleWatch is a mapping project that provides up-to-date information about the thermal habitat of loggerhead sea turtles in the Pacific Ocean north of the Hawaiian Islands. By identifying the ocean habitat favored by loggerhead turtles, the TurtleWatch maps are expected to help longline fishing vessels deploy their fishing gear in areas where loggerheads are less likely to occur.

In this way, NOAA Fisheries hopes to provide benefits not only to the turtles, but also to fishermen, who operate under strict limits on the number of turtle interactions allowed.

This information can help NOAA Fisheries evaluate the effectiveness of conservation and recovery measures, and can help guide actions to enhance recovery. To estimate population abundance, researchers conduct aerial and vessel-based surveys of selected areas and capture and mark turtles in the water and on beaches. We also incorporate data collected on nesting beaches via stranding networks and from fisheries observer programs.

Other information that informs sea turtle population assessments includes population structure genetic analyses , age to maturity, survivorship of the various life stages e.

Satellite telemetry allows researchers to track sea turtles as they migrate between and within foraging and nesting areas. The data help us understand migration patterns, identify feeding areas, and identify where turtles overlap with their primary threats e. We observe fisheries to understand the level of sea turtle bycatch and the ways in which turtles interact with fishing gear. Learn more about our fishing gear research.

Learn more about our turtle genetics and isotope studies. Life history studies include gathering information on such things as migration patterns, where turtles nest and forage, growth rates, age to maturity, and sex ratios. This information is important in understanding key biological parameters that influence population trends and inform the conservation status. Programmatic biological opinion on the Gulf of Mexico oil and Gas Program in federal waters…. Loggerhead Turtle Caretta caretta.

ESA Endangered - Foreign. Mediterranean Sea DPS. ESA Threatened. ESA Threatened - Foreign. Throughout Its Range. Quick Facts Weight. Unknown, but estimated to be 70 years or more.

See Regulatory Actions. Bycatch in Fishing Gear A primary threat to sea turtles is their unintended capture in fishing gear which can result in drowning or cause injuries that lead to death or debilitation for example, swallowing hooks. Loss and Degradation of Nesting Habitat Coastal development and rising seas from climate change are leading to the loss of critical nesting beach habitat for loggerhead turtles.

Vessel Strikes Vessel strikes are a major threat to loggerhead turtles near developed coastlines throughout their range. Direct Harvest of Turtles and Eggs Historically, sea turtles including loggerheads were killed for their meat and their eggs which are collected for consumption in some countries.

Climate Change For all sea turtles, a warming climate is likely to result in changes in beach morphology and higher sand temperatures which can be lethal to eggs, or alter the ratio of male and female hatchlings produced.

Science We conduct various research activities on the biology, behavior, and ecology of loggerhead sea turtles. Our work includes: Monitoring populations through vessel-based or aerial surveys, nesting beach studies, satellite tracking, genetics, and mark-recapture flipper tagging studies Studying foraging and reproductive behavior to understand demographics, physiology, habitat use, and resource requirements Tracking individuals over time to understand important aspects of their life history such as growth and age to maturity Evaluating life history and population health information from stranding and fisheries bycatch datasets Understanding impacts of change in environmental and ocean conditions on sea turtle abundance, distribution, and demographics Monitoring fisheries impacts and designing fishing gear to minimize bycatch during commercial and recreational fishing operations Capacity building and training to share the latest scientific techniques and tools to monitor sea turtle populations globally.

How You Can Help. Reduce Ocean Trash. Keep Your Distance.