Sea Turtles 



Unit 



25 



NMFS OFFICE OF 

 PROTECTED RESOURCES 



Silver Spring 

 Maryland 



NMFS SOUTHEAST 

 FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER 



INTRODUCTION 



Miami 

 Florida 



Sea turtles are highly migratorv and widely dis- 

 tributed throughout the world's oceans. The six 

 species found in U.S. waters are the loggerhead, 

 Kemps ridley, olive ridley, green, leatherback, and 

 hawksbill. In the Pacific Ocean, all these species 

 except the Kemp's ridley inhabit either the U.S. 

 Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) or the high seas. 

 Nesting populations of" the green turtle and the 

 hawskbill occur in the Hawaiian Archipelago and 

 American Samoa. With rare exception, the log- 

 gerhead, leatherback, and olive ridley do not nest 

 in U.S. Pacific states or territories. The loggerhead, 

 Kemp's ridley, green, hawksbill and leatherback are 

 commonly found in U.S. Atlantic waters, while 

 the olive ridley inhabits South Atlantic Ocean 

 waters. Significant nesting assemblages of the log- 

 gerhead, leatherback, green, and hawksbill are 

 found in the southeastern United States and in 

 the U.S. C^aribbcan. Ihc current status of U.S. 



sea turtles, based on research conducted at major 

 nesting beaches, is summarized in Fable 2'i-l. 



All six species of sea turtles found in the United 

 States (7 species worldwide) are currently listed 

 either as endangered or threatened under the En- 

 dangered Species Act (ESA). The Kemp's ridley, 

 hawksbill, and leatherback are listed as endangered 

 throughout their ranges. Ihe loggerhead and ol- 

 ive ridley are listed as threatened. The green turtle 

 is also listed as threatened, except the Florida nest- 

 ing population and the Pacific Mexico breeding 

 population, which are listed as endangered. The 

 authority to protect and conserve sea turtles in the 

 marine environment is vested in the National Ma- 

 rine Fisheries Service (NMFS), while the U.S. Fish 

 and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has principal re- 

 sponsibility at the Federal level for protection of 

 sea turtles on land (nesting beaches). 



NMFS SOUTHWEST 

 FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER 



La Jolla 

 California 



Nesting green turtles. 



261 



