In 2011,
the loggerhead sea turtles of the Pacific were reclassified from threatened to
endangered but that does not solve the problems they face. In October 2012, the
Center for Biological Diversity with Oceana and the Turtle Island Restoration
Network “filed suit against the Obama administration seeking to protect
critical habitat for endangered Pacific loggerhead sea turtles along the U.S.
West Coast and across the Pacific Ocean” (CBD). It wasn’t until March 2013 that
“the federal government finally proposed to protect more than 739 miles on both
the Atlantic and Gulf coasts” (CBD).
A CBD press release dated March 22, 2013 states that “the proposal [to protect critical
habitat] spans from North Carolina to Mississippi and encompasses 84 percent of
all known nesting areas.” Jaclyn Lopez, a Florida attorney with CBD emphasized that “The
Southeast’s nesting loggerheads swim thousands of miles through an obstacle
course of human-made hazards, [but now] protected beach habitat will help
ensure that when they reach our beaches, exhausted and ready to nest, they’re
met with true southern hospitality: plenty of food, good conditions for
nesting, and safe beaches for hatchlings to leave their nests so they may
someday return to continue the cycle of life” (CBD press).
This is
an historical milestone for loggerhead sea turtle conservation because the
critical habitat proposal is the first of its kind along the Atlantic and Gulf
coasts, outside Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Any new construction
occurring in the designated critical habitat will require federal permits and
need to be reviewed to prevent harm to nesting areas (CBD press).
The next
step, expected later this year, is for the government to designate in-water
critical habitat to protect offshore breeding and feeding habitat. Once
in-water critical habitat is in place, any “wave-energy, offshore-drilling, or
aquaculture projects […] would also require analysis and assessment to ensure
that these activities would not compromise their ability to find food, breed,
and migrate safely in their ocean home” (CBD press).
A marine
scientists at Oceana, Amanda Keledijian, asserted that “the National Marine
Fisheries Service must follow upon this action and designate off-shore areas as
well as waters directly adjacent to nesting beaches if they want these
vulnerable populations to recover” (CBD press).
Public
comments will be accepted until May 24, 2013, with the final protections expected
to take effect in 2014. If you agree loggerhead sea turtles deserve federally
protected habitat be sure to leave a comment telling the government how
important this critical habitat proposal truly is to the survival of the
species. CBD declares that “species with critical habitat protected under the
Endangered Species Act are twice as likely to show signs of measureable
recovery compared to those without” (CBD press).
To
submit comments, use one of the following methods:
· Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments to Docket No.
FWS–R4–ES–2012–0103; or
· U.S. mail or hand delivery: Public
Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–R4–ES–2012–0103; Division of Policy and
Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive,
MS 2042–PDM; Arlington, VA 22203. (FWS)
References:
Center for Biological Diversity, Press Release
Center for Biological Diversity, Saving the Loggerhead Sea Turtle
