National Marine Fisheries Service
Southeast  Region
NEWS RELEASE

9721 Executive Center Drive,  North
St. Petersburg, Florida  33702

SERO NR98-055

Contact: Chris Smith                    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                        September 14, 1998                 
               
                              


      Critical Habitat for Green and Hawksbill Sea Turtles 
                    Designated in Puerto Rico

The National Marine Fisheries Service has designated critical habitat for the threatened green sea turtle to include coastal waters surrounding Culebra Island, Puerto Rico, and the endangered hawksbill sea turtle to include coastal waters surrounding Mona and Monito Islands, Puerto Rico. This Endangered Species Act designation of critical habitat provides explicit notice to Federal agencies and the public that these areas are vital to the conservation of these species. The formal announcement of this designation appeared in the Federal Register on Sept. 2.

"Caribbean populations of green turtles have diminished significantly from historical levels, primarily due to the directed turtle fishery that existed prior to their listing under the ESA," said Charles Oravetz, chief of NMFS Southeast Regional Protected Resources Division. "Research also shows that habitat loss is a primary factor slowing the recovery of the species throughout its range."

Seagrasses are the principal dietary component of juvenile and adult green turtles throughout the Caribbean region. The importance of the Culebra archipelago as green turtle developmental habitat has been well documented. Researchers have established that Culebra's coastal waters support significant juvenile green turtle populations and have confirmed the presence of a small population of adults.

"In the United States, hawksbill turtles are most common in Puerto Rico and its associated islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Florida. Illegal international commerce in hawksbill shell, or "bekko," is considered the most significant factor endangering hawksbill populations around the world," said Oravetz.

Although illegal harvesting and trade continues, recovery of this species is also hampered by habitat loss. Coral reefs, like those found in the waters surrounding Mona and Monito Islands, are widely recognized as the primary foraging habitat of juvenile, subadult, and adult hawksbills. This habitat association is directly related to the species' highly specific diet of sponges. Destruction of coral reefs due to deteriorating water quality and vessel anchoring, striking, or grounding is a growing problem. The coral reefs of Mona and Monito Islands are among the few known remaining places in the Caribbean where hawksbills occur with considerable density. Research shows that the large juvenile population of hawksbills around Mona and Monito are long term residents, composed of individuals from multiple nesting populations in the wider Caribbean.

"It appears that the conservation of juvenile hawksbills at Mona can contribute to sustaining healthy nesting populations throughout the Caribbean region," concluded Oravetz.

NMFS is an agency of the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The agency conducts scientific research, marine fisheries management, trade and industry assistance, law enforcement, and protected species and habitat conservation.

This and other NMFS Southeast Regional news releases are available on the regional Internet homepage at http://caldera.sero.nmfs.gov.