NORTH CAROUNA STAXE LIBRARY 

 RALETQH 



N. C. 



Doc. 



UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROUNA 



November, 1977 



105 1911 Building 

 NCSU, Raleigh, N.C. 27607 Tel: (919) 737-2^51* 



The loggerhead turtle: fighting for life 



The beaches are quiet now. Except for an oc- 

 casional surf fisherman casting his line in the rosy 

 glow of an early morning sun, or a gull soaring on the 

 currents of a cool, moist, fall breeze, a certain 

 stillness enshrouds the North Carolina coast. The 

 summer's young have already begun their trek to 

 wintering grounds, some thousands of miles away. 

 And a season of rest has replaced a season of produc- 

 tivity. 



But for the loggerhead turtle, this summer has 

 been anything but productive, and the fall far from 

 restful. Few adults lived through the treacherous trip 

 to shore during late spring and early summer to lay 

 their eggs in hollow cavities of warm, moist sand. 

 Even fewer hatchlings survived the ordeals of beach 

 incubation and the long mysterious journey back to 

 deep water. 



Like many of the once abundant sea turtles, the 

 loggerhead is facing a critical period in its struggle 

 for_ survival. 



Over the last few decades, marine scientists 

 throughout North and South America have observed 

 a sharp decline in the number of sea turtles coming to 

 shore to nest. Today three of the six species of sea 



turtles found in North American waters are listed on 

 the federal endangered species list. 



Because these turtles spend so much of their lives 

 at sea, it is difficult to determine exact population 

 numbers. But scientists with the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service believe that there are fewer than 

 80,000 leatherback turtles remaining. The picture is 

 even grimmer for the hawksbill and the Atlantic 

 ridley, a species which one researcher observes to be 

 "in dire straits." 



Although populations of the green, loggerhead and 

 Pacific ridley turtles aren't in such immediate 

 danger, dramatic declines have been seen in their 

 numbers. A proposal was recently made to include all 

 three on the federal "threatened" list. Approval is ex- 

 pected sometime this year. Such listing would give 

 the turtles far greater protection than they currently 

 have, though not as much as an endangered 

 classification which prohibits any action that en- 

 dangers the species. 



While federal law preempts less stringent state or 

 local laws, numerous states have already moved 

 toward giving the green, loggerhead and Pacific 

 (See "A straggle," p. 2) 



