Sea Turtles
What's New?
- Final listing of 11 DPSs of the green sea turtle under the ESA
- Critical habitat designated for Northwest Atlantic DPS of loggerhead sea turtles
- 5-year review of olive ridley sea turtle [pdf]
- Keeping Turtles out of Skimmer Trawl Nets: Turtle Excluder Device (TED) Testing
- Leatherback turtle tracking from nesting beach to feeding area
- Tracing sea turtle origins using genetics
- First satellite tracks of young sea turtles in the South Atlantic Ocean
- 40 Years of Green Turtle Research in Hawaii [pdf]
Video: Scientists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and NMFS Office of Protected Resources conduct in-water research on sea turtle populations in Florida Bay.
(video credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission;
permit: NMFS 14622,
NPS EVER-2015-SCI-0042,
FFWCC MTP-15-124)
Video: Turtle Excluder Device allows loggerhead turtle to escape from net
- Dr. Archie Carr, father of modern marine turtle biology and conservation
 green turtle |
 hawksbill turtle |
 Kemp's ridley turtle |
 leatherback turtle |
 loggerhead turtle |
 olive ridley turtle |
Sea turtles, also called marine turtles, are air-breathing reptiles with streamlined bodies and large flippers. They are well-adapted to life in the marine environment. They inhabit tropical and subtropical ocean waters throughout the world. Although sea turtles live most of their lives in the ocean, adult females must return to beaches on land to lay their eggs. They often migrate long distances between feeding grounds and nesting beaches. Seven species have been identified worldwide. Six sea turtle species are found in U.S. waters (the flatback sea turtle is found only in Australia and Papua New Guinea).
What sea turtles are protected?
All sea turtles found in U.S. waters are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which provides similar protections to threatened and endangered sea turtles:
- 10 populations are endangered
- 6 populations are threatened
Sea turtles are also listed in CITES Appendix I, which regulates international trade.
Threats
Major threats to sea turtles in the U.S. include:
- destruction and alteration of nesting and feeding habitats
- incidental capture (bycatch) in commercial and recreational fisheries
- entanglement in marine debris
- vessel strikes
To reduce the incidental capture of sea turtles in commercial fisheries, we have enacted regulations to reduce bycatch in certain U.S. commercial fishing gears(gillnets, longlines, pound nets, and trawls) that have known, significant bycatch of sea turtles.
To address all threats to sea turtles, we have developed, with USFWS, recovery plans to direct research and management efforts for each sea turtle species.
More information on threats to sea turtles is on our website.
Conservation and Management
Since 1977, NOAA Fisheries and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have shared shared jurisdiction for recovery and conservation of sea turtles listed under the ESA. A Memorandum of Understanding [pdf] outlines our specific roles: we lead the conservation and recovery of sea turtles in the marine environment, and USFWS has the lead for the conservation and recovery of sea turtles on nesting beaches.
International Conservation
The conservation and recovery of sea turtles requires multi-lateral cooperation and agreements to ensure the survival of these highly migratory animals. We have a broad national and international program and work closely with 2 international environmental agreements that deal exclusively with sea turtle conservation:
- Indian Ocean - South-East Asian (IOSEA) Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding
- Inter-American Convention (IAC) for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles
- Shrimp Imported into the U.S.: Legislation for Marine Turtle Conservation
The goal of the international component of the sea turtle program is to facilitate the global conservation and recovery of sea turtles by working closely with other nations through diplomatic channels, capacity building, and scientific exchange. Our Regional Office staff and Science Center staff are also involved in international activities related to sea turtle research and management.
More Information
- Turtle Excluder Devices
- Annual Sea Turtle Symposium
- 2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill
- Satellite Tracking
- Sea Turtle Observer Requirements
- NMFS Northeast Regional Office Sea Turtle Program
- NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center Sea Turtle Information
- NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Marine Turtle Research Program
- NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center Marine Turtle Research Program
Additional Resources for Turtle Conservation
- Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research & Sea Turtle Online Bibliography
- Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge
- Convention on Migratory Species
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Marine Turtle Program
- Georgia Department of Natural Resources
- HEART (Help Endangered Animals - Ridley Turtles)
- Indian Ocean - South-East Asian Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding (IOSEA)
- Inter-American Convention (IAC) for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles
- IUCN's Marine Turtle Specialist Group
- Memorandum of Agreement on the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area
- Memorandum of Understanding on ASEAN Sea Turtle Conservation and Protection
- SeaTurtle.org
- Sea Turtle Conservancy
- Sea Turtle Restoration Project
- Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN)
- South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
- Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol of the Cartagena Convention
- Turtle Trax
- U.S. Department of State: Oceans, Fisheries and Marine Conservation
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sea Turtle Information
- Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST)
- WiLDCOAST
Updated: May 24, 2016
