The release of the 2004 State of the Sea Turtles report at the end of the symposium will offer the most up-to-date information on the status of the world's sea turtles.

The world's seven species of sea turtles are under grave danger from threats including over-fishing, destructive fishing practices such as long-lining and trawling of the ocean floor, and the poaching of turtle eggs, regarded by some cultures as an aphrodisiac.

The leatherback sea turtle, which can grow to nine feet in size and up to 2,000 pounds and pre-dates the dinosaur, is one of the species on the brink of extinction. In 1982, 115,000 reproductive female leatherbacks graced the coastlines of the Americas in the Pacific Ocean. Today, just two decades later, that number has plummeted more than 97 percent to fewer than 3,000. Scientists believe that strong conservation measures can still have a dramatic impact, but recognize that their window of opportunity is shrinking.

"Sea turtles, such as the Kemp's ridley and leatherback, have been adversely affected by human mismanagement of the environment," said Rod Mast, Vice President of Conservation International and President of the International Sea Turtle Symposium. "In the past few centuries, humans have decimated sea turtle populations through habitat destruction and exploitation. Now, sea turtle populations are declining due to fishing practices, pollution and global warming."

The 24th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Conservation and Biology will focus on specific strategies that can be implemented immediately to protect the world's remaining sea turtles. The theme
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Contact: Brad Phillips
b.phillips@conservation.org
202-912-1532
Conservation International
5-Feb-2004