Threatened Or Endangered

Species
Sea Turtles
Sea turtles are large, air breathing, ectothermic reptiles that have adapted
for life in the sea. They have paddle-shaped flippers instead of feet,
streamlined bodies, salt glands, and cannot retract into their shell like a
land turtle can. Sea turtles have ancestors pre-dating the dinosaurs 245
million years ago. The difference between them and their ancestors is
size, they are a lot smaller today. Archelon, the largest sea turtle known,
swam the waters 70 million years ago, was 16 feet from flipper to flipper
and weighed over 5,000 pounds. The leatherback, the largest living sea
turtle, is 7 feet from flipper to flipper and can weigh up to 2,000 pounds.
Seven species of sea turtles have managed to survive to modern times.
All are considered threatened or endangered. Three of these species; the
loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), and leatherback
(Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtles nest on Broward County’s beaches,
and two of these species; the hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricate) and
kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochlys kempi) are seen offshore.
Threatened or Endangered
Mainly overharvesting of sea turtles for meat, eggs, leather, and tortoise
shells up until the 1970s caused turtle populations to crash. All species of
sea turtles are threatened or endangered and protected through Florida
Statues, Chapter 370, and by the United States Endangered Species Act
of 1973. Briefly, these laws state that: "No person may take, harass,
harm, pursue, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or attempts to engage in
any such conduct to marine turtles, turtle nests, and/or turtle eggs." Any
person who knowingly violates any provision of the act may be assessed
civil penalties up to $25,000 or criminal penalty up to $100,000 and up to
one year imprisonment.
Sea turtle populations have been seriously reduced worldwide through a
number of human influences. Pollution of the waters via trash, chemicals,
and discarded fishing nets, lines, and hooks are frequently ingested by sea
turtles causing internal health issues. Incidental capture of sea turtles in
fishing nets and shrimp trawls, can prevent sea turtles from reaching the
surface to breathe. Overdeveloped coastal areas have reduced natural
nesting habitats and caused increased lighting which disorients hatchlings
and nesting mothers. Boaters need to use caution as sea turtles can be
primarily found at or just below the surface in coastal and inland waters
especially during mating, nesting, and hatching season. Only 1 in 1,000
hatchlings that make it to the ocean will survive to adulthood, this is due
to all the natural and anthropogenic obstacles they face. For these reasons
all sea turtle species are protected.
In the Atlantic, the loggerhead sea turtle and green sea turtle are listed as
threatened. The leatherback, hawksbill, and Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle
species are listed as endangered everywhere.