SAVING THE LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLE

As ancient as the dinosaurs, the leatherback sea turtle is something of a dinosaur itself and is today hailed as the heaviest reptile on the planet. This champion swimmer, whose diving capabilities are unmatched by other turtles, has confounded scientists with its mammal-like ability to regulate its own body temperature. Tolerant even of the extreme temperatures of the Arctic Circle, leatherbacks cannot endure humanity’s assault on the world’s oceans much longer.

Ocean-borne longline fishing vessels targeting swordfish and tuna deploy thousands of baited hooks on lines that can extend for more than 60 miles. These hooks catch and kill not just swordfish and tuna but thousands of sea turtles, seabirds, marine mammals, and sharks. Gillnet fisheries likewise entangle and drown many of these species, including the leatherback sea turtle. The Center has repeatedly initiated litigation to curtail commercial fishing practices off the West and East coasts of the United States, as well as off Hawaii. Following one successful lawsuit, longline fishing for swordfish was prohibited along the West Coast. But typically, once we get relief for the besieged turtles in one location, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposes to reopen these destructive fisheries elsewhere. It has been a shell game, but the Center will persist until turtles are no longer drowning in commercial fishing gear.

While leatherbacks are threatened throughout their range, they’re particularly imperiled in the Pacific Ocean. In 2007 we filed a petition to obtain critical habitat designation for leatherbacks in their foraging grounds off the northwest coast. After we sued to compel a response from the National Marine Fisheries Service, in January 2010 the agency proposed to grant the turtle 70,000 square miles of critical habitat off California, Oregon, and Washington.