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Concern for
sea turtles leads
to restrictions
on longlining

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By Steve Murray
Star-Bulletin

Although sea turtles have existed for 150 million years, some feel the next five to 10 years will be crucial for the animals.

During that time, says Peter Fugazzotto, associate director of the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, the leatherback turtle could become extinct.

Other sea turtles in Hawaiian waters -- the green, olive Ridley and loggerhead -- all have "threatened" status under the Endangered Species Act.

Fugazzotto says the importance of protecting sea turtles extends beyond the creatures themselves.

"We are also protecting ourselves, the ocean, the land and the life process."

He sees the possible extinction of the leatherback turtle as a signal of an even greater problem. "It's like a canary in the coal mine. It is an indicator of the health of the ocean."

The National Marine Fisheries Service is responsible for protecting endangered marine species. Two groups -- the Turtle Island Restoration Network, for whom Fugazzotto works, and the Center for Marine Conservation -- sued the Fisheries Service alleging it failed to adequately protect turtles in the Pacific Ocean.

Unless he mediates a compromise before then, a ruling by U.S. District Judge David Ezra will sharply restrict longline fishing from Aug. 5 until an environmental impact study is completed in April 2001.

Longliners insist that an inconsequential number of sea turtles are killed by their fishing method. But lawsuit plaintiffs say every turtle's death is significant.

Hawaii's longline fishermen have said the judge's ruling, meant to protect the turtles, is threatening their livelihood.

Environmentalists allow that longline fishing isn't the only thing endangering turtles and insist that closing an entire fishing industry was not the intent of the lawsuit.

But because of the current danger to the leatherbacks, it is probably the only solution, says Fugazzotto. "The time line we're working with is very short."

The threatened,
endangered turtles

The four turtles that prompted a lawsuit seeking better enforcement of the Endangered Species Act in Hawaiian waters.

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LEATHERBACK TURTLE

Habitat: Highly migratory; have been spotted from Nova Scotia to Chile.
Average adult: 1,100 pounds; 6 feet long.
How many left: 30,000 to 40,000.
Endangered: Since June 2, 1970.

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GREEN SEA TURTLE

Habitat: Atlantic and Pacific oceans, in tropical and subtropical seas.
Average adult: 300 pounds; 3 feet long.
How many left: 100,000 to 200,000 females nest yearly.
Threatened / endangered: Since July 28, 1978: endangered in Florida and Pacific coast of Mexico; threatened in other areas.

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LOGGERHEAD TURTLE

Habitat: Found in warm and temperate waters of North and South America, Europe, Africa and Japan.
Average adult: 250 pounds; 3 feet long.
How many left: Estimated 30,000 nest on Masirah Island and about 14,150 in Florida.
Threatened: Since June 2, 1970.

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OLIVE RIDLEY TURTLE

Habitat: Primarily in northern hemisphere.
Average adult: 85 pounds and 2 feet long.
How many left: About 610,000 females nest each year.
Threatened:Since July 28, 1978.

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Sources: Sea Turtle Restoration Project and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; photos from National Marine Fisheries Service and Marine Turtle Research Program Web sites