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Rescue Plan for Endangered Sea Turtles in the Gulf of Mexico

Wednesday 7th July 2010

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Wildlife experts in the United States have announced an ambitious plan to rescue hundreds of turtle nests and eggs from the potential impacts of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Using a strategy never tested before on such a massive scale, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will coordinate the collection of around 80,000 eggs from 800 nests on the beaches of Alabama and northwest Florida and move them hundreds of miles away to the oil-free Atlantic coast. Collected at a point in the incubation cycle where the loss of viable eggs should be minimised, the nests will be transported in protective containers and kept at a climate-controlled location before successful hatchlings are released on the east central coast of Florida.

As the oil spill coincided with the turtle’s breeding season, it is feared that without action many turtle hatchlings could become coated in oil or be poisoned by food soaked in crude. So far, the loggerhead turtle, the world’s largest hard-shelled turtle, and Kemp’s ridley turtle, the most critically endangered sea turtle, have been most severely affected. Both these species are already threatened by habitat loss and bycatch in commercial fisheries; however, it is hoped that the bulk of the nests in the northern gulf will be saved, protecting these vulnerable reptiles from further declines.

A Critically Important Habitat

The Gulf of Mexico is home to a huge array of valuable habitats and a vast diversity of wildlife. Its waters support numerous populations of rare whales and dolphins, seabirds and fish, as well as many unique coral reef communities. Below are examples of just some of those threatened species found in the Gulf of Mexico:

Lined seahorse
A popular ornamental fish in North America and one of the most commonly caught seahorses, thousands of lined seahorses are collected from the wild each year and sold to the aquarium trade. Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this extraordinary species is further threatened by overharvesting for the Chinese medicinal trade and incidental capture in trawl fisheries.
Sperm whale swimming at surface
Not only is the sperm whale the largest of the toothed whales, it is also the deepest diving mammal on the planet, reaching incredible depths of up to 3,000 metres. With a long history of commercial exploitation, today the greatest threat to this whale is collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear.
Goliath grouper, head detail
A large and stocky-bodied fish, the Critically Endangered goliath grouper has suffered severely from overharvesting by both commercial and recreational fisheries. With a slow growth rate and reproductive cycle hindering its recovery from such severe exploitation, its survival may depend on conservation measures.
Black-capped petrel in flight
Listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, the black-capped petrel has been brought to the brink of extinction by habitat loss, predation by introduced predators and overexploitation for food, with less than 1,000 breeding pairs remaining today.
Acropora palmata colony
Like other elkhorn corals, Acropora palmata is among the fastest growing corals and a vital reef-builder. However, its speed of growth, which can be up to 20 centimetres per year, is balanced by the fragility of its structure, and, consequently, damage from hurricanes is one of the greatest threats to the survival of this delicate coral.
Leatherback turtle swimming
Already threatened by accidental capture in fishing nets, over-harvesting of its eggs and the ingestion of discarded plastics, the loss of nesting habitat due to rising sea levels is considered the greatest threat to the leatherback turtle, the largest of all sea turtles.
Pantropical spotted dolphin
The most distinctive feature of the pantropical spotted dolphin is, at its name suggests, the spots that speckle the adults. Inhabiting tropical and warm-water seas worldwide, this social mammal may be found in large groups of thousands of dolphins, often acrobatically breaching the water as they travel.

To find out more about the conservation of sea turtles, see:

Sea Turtle Conservancy: http://www.conserveturtles.org/
Global Sea Turtle Network: http://www.seaturtle.org/
IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group: http://www.iucn-mtsg.org/



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