Yet saving sea turtles is possible. International cooperation has worked before to reverse the decline of Kemp's ridleys another species of sea turtle whose numbers became dangerously low in the mid 1980's. Kemp's ridleys sank to about 300 nesting females per year before their decline was reversed by an international effort, protecting them on their nesting beaches in Mexico and by requiring turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in U.S. and Mexican trawl fisheries. TEDs are metal grids placed in the backs of trawl nets that allow the turtles to slip out of harm's way instead of being entrapped in the net, then drowning. Since the implementation of these efforts in the late 1980's, Kemp's ridleys have been increasing 11-13% per year, from a low of only 800 nests in 1986 to 6,200 in 2002.
"People worked very hard for over a decade protecting them on nesting beaches and in the water, and now we're seeing recovery. So there is a precedent for success. Saving leatherbacks will be harder because of their range," says Crowder. "It will require even more international cooperation. There is hope, but we need to act now."
Unlike the Kemp's ridleys that stay in the coastal zone of the US and Mexico leatherbacks roam the world. In the Pacific, leatherbacks are declining at all major rookeries, primarily due to bycatch in longlines and gillnets.
What can be done to save the Pacific leatherback?
In order to save the leatherbacks and other sea turtles, U.S. scientists and managers are examining three options: 1) Develop and implement a gear fix to reduce bycatch in longlines and export this technology to other longlining nations, 2) Examine the spatial and temporal distribution of turtles and
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Contact: Jessica Brown
jbrown@seaweb.org
202-497-8375
SeaWeb
17-Feb-2003