Loggerhead foraging. Photo (C) Doug Perrine/SeaPics.com

The Sea Turtle Restoration Project spearheaded the initial movement to grant loggerheads endangered status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) several years ago and just completed submission of over 5,600 individual letters from our members and supporters in support of increased loggerhead protections. We also submitted a coalition letter with almost a dozen partner sign-ons, our organization's fisheries-specific comment letter, and a 23-page comment letter with our co-plaintiffs detailing the biological, ecological, and legal rationales to rapidly increase loggerhead protections and designate protective critical habitat. These documents were submitted to both the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manage loggerhead ocean and nesting beach habitat, respectively. Our public comments are available, simply click here to download the coalition letter, click here to download the STRP fisheries-specific comment letter, and click here to download the 23 page detailed comment letter.

Loggerheads in the U.S. are struggling to recover from the horrific BP oil spill and their populations around the world are under direct threat from longline fisheries that crisscross critical migratory and feeding habitats, shrimp trawls, sand dredging, plastic pollution, and destruction of nesting beaches.  To hear a recent interview with STRP's Chris Pincetich speaking to the Endangered Species Coalition, click here.