Florida beaches, thought to host the second-largest loggerhead nesting population in the world, have seen a decline in nesting of more than 40% in the past decade.
Credit: NOAA

According to Oceana.org, NOAA’s NMFS has failed to meet the legal 12-month deadline for responding to three separate petitions focusing on two different sea turtle species in U.S. waters.

Because of this, The Center for Biological Diversity, Oceana.org and the Turtle Island Restoration Network are calling for stronger protection for sea turtles, including comprehensive legislation on their behalf.

David Allison, senior campaign director at Oceana says, “Sea turtles in all U.S. waters are at risk of extinction and the agency responsible for their protection is failing to do its job. If we hope to ensure the long-term survival of these majestic species, we must move quickly to enact a comprehensive law to protect U.S. sea turtles.”

“The U.S. government has knowingly failed to respond to our petitions” – David Allison

Among other things, the sea turtle petitions call for increased protections in the loggerheads’ key nesting beach and marine habitats. It also mentions the negative effects on loggerhead turtles from greenhouse gas emissions saying, “…the threat to the loggerhead from global warming has increased since the filing of the petition, and will continue to do so.”