Loggerhead Turtle
Madeline Dawes
In What region Is It Found?
Loggerhead turtles are found in North Carolina's Tidewater or Coastal Plain regions (near the ocean or salt marshes). They are typically found all along the coast of NC.
Image credit: http://www.visitnc.com/cities-regions
Image Credit: www.learnnc.org
Image Credit: wwf.panda.org
Why Is The Loggeread turtle in danger?
- "Loggerheads face threats on both nesting beaches and in the marine environment. The greatest cause of decline and the continuing primary threat to loggerhead turtle populations worldwide is incidental capture in fishing gear, primarily in longlines and gillnets, but also in trawls, traps and pots, and dredges." -http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/loggerhead.htm
- "Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of sea turtles a year are accidentally caught in shrimp trawl nets, on longline hooks and in fishing gillnets—a threat known as bycatch. Sea turtles need to reach the surface to breathe, and therefore many drown once caught. Loggerheads are highly migratory and are very likely to come in contact with a fishery, particularly in shrimp gillnets and longlines." -http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/loggerhead-turtle
- "Unfortunately, there are many reasons why sea turtles are now at risk:Human harvesting of turtles and their eggs, Destruction of nesting habitats, Commercial fisheries who use longline fishing practices or gill nets and do not use Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDS), Pollution affecting nesting habitats and/or species: such as entanglement in marine debris; plastic debris, and commercial and industrial ocean water pollution from oil spills and chemical waste, Global Warming." -http://costaricaturtles.com/sea-turtles/
- "The greatest threat is loss of nesting habitat due to coastal development, predation of nests, and human disturbances (such as coastal lighting and housing developments) that cause disorientations during the emergence of hatchlings. Other major threats include incidental capture in longline fishing, shrimp trawling and pollution. Incidental capture in fisheries is thought to have played a significant role in the recent population declines observed for the loggerhead." -http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=loggerhead
Image Credit: en.wikipedia.org
Image Credit: www.worldwildlife.org
Image Credit: www.kiawahturtles.com
What efforts are being made to save the turtles?
" In the southeastern U.S., major nest protection efforts and beach habitat protection are underway for most of the significant nesting areas, and significant progress has been made in reducing mortality from commercial fisheries in U.S. waters with the enforcement of turtle excluder device regulations. Many coastal counties and communities in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina have developed lighting ordinances to reduce hatchling disorientations. Important U.S. nesting beaches have been and continue to be acquired for long-term protection. The migratory nature of loggerheads severely compromises these efforts once they move outside U.S. waters, however, since legal and illegal fisheries activities in some countries are causing high mortality of loggerheads from the Northwest Atlantic Ocean DPS. Due to the long range migratory movements of sea turtles between nesting beaches and foraging areas, long-term international cooperation is absolutely essential for recovery and stability of nesting populations." -http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/seaturtles/turtle%20factsheets/loggerhead-sea-turtle.htm
sources:
- http://www.fws.gov/raleigh/Loggerhead.html
- http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/loggerhead.htm
- http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/loggerhead-turtle
- http://costaricaturtles.com/sea-turtles/
- http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=loggerhead -This website shows a map of the nesting areas of loggerhead seaturtles!
- http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/seaturtles/turtle%20factsheets/loggerhead-sea-turtle.htm