SeaTurtles.org Wins GillnetReprieve for California’sLeatherback Sea Turtles

Viva la Tortuga!Viva la Tortuga!

WITH THE SUPPORT OF OUR tensof thousands of members andactivists, the Sea Turtle Restoration

Project (SeaTurtles.org) has won a victoryfor critically endangered Pacific leather -back sea turtles and their jellyfish “huntinggrounds” off the U.S. West Coast. For atleast the next year, we have stopped thedestructive drift gillnet fishery for swordfishfrom dragging their immense, indiscrim-inate nets in the prime sea turtle habitat of the protected Pacific LeatherbackConservation Area (PLCA).

SeaTurtles.org educated and mobilizedocean conservation groups, the CaliforniaCoastal Commission, California StateAssembly, scientists and thousands of peoplewho registered their opposition to expan-sion of the drift gillnet fleet into protectedsea turtle habitat. The expansion would haveincreased the risk of endangered sea turtles,whales, dolphins, sea lions, sea birds andsharks becoming tangled and drowning, aswell as the waste of tons of unwanted“non-target” fish.

The PLCA prohibits gillnetting duringpeak sea turtle foraging season each year,and protects not only sea turtles but also allthe marine animals that use this biologi-cally rich area. Since SeaTurtles.org wonthe PLCA protections in 2000 through lit-igation to stop high numbers of sea turtledeaths, only one leatherback sea turtle hasbeen observed entangled in the gillnetfishery, compared to dozens in the past.

However, the reprieve could be temporaryunless we keep up the fight. Federal fish-ery managers in the Pacific FisheriesManagement Council voted to maintain

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NEWSLETTER OF THE SEA TURTLE RESTORATION PROJECT OF TURTLE ISLAND RESTORATION NETWORK SEATURTLES.ORG

Destructive Drift Gillnet Fishery Kept Out of Prime Habitat

Victory forAustralian Flatback

Sea Turtles!

MARK COTTER

ROD HARTVIGSEN, WWW.MURRANJI.COM.AU

continued on page 2ISSUE NO. 1, 2013

BIG OIL WITHDRAWS PLANS

Australian activists have won amajor victory in the fight to save thepristine Kimberley coast from amassive natural gas plant. After three years of non-stop oppo-sition from environmentalists inAustralia and around the world, oilgiant Woodside Petroleum scrappedits plan for a Browse Basin naturalgas refinery at James Price Point.Thanks to our supporters, SeaTurtles.org helped turn the tideagainst this massive fossil fuel proj-ect which would have destroyed thehabitat of sea turtles, humpbackwhales and marine species that relyon the Kimberley coast for feeding,migration and breeding.

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LOGGERHEAD “TEENAGERS” DYING

IN MEXICAN BAJA WATERS

AS TINY COOKIE-SIZED HATCHLINGS, North Pacific loggerheads thatleave their hatching sites on Japan’s southern beaches are extremelyvulnerable to predation, and only a small percentage will reach adult-

hood, after spending their young lives floating in the open ocean. This is notunique to loggerheads, but is a common life history trait of all sea turtles.

If you were a sea turtle among the lucky survivors that begin to approachadult size, the tables would be turned in your favor. Only a few predators are bigenough to take on a large turtle. Now your chances of survival are quite good.

This evolutionary strategy has allowed sea turtles to survive for a hundredmillion years… until modern times. But now new, more “efficient” fishinggear often catch and drown these large adult turtles, circumventing theprocess that allowed the loggerhead population to survive for millennia. Sub-adult “teenage” turtles move from open ocean habitat to near-shore areas,where food is abundant. For loggerheads born in Japan, this means headingfor Baja California where the red crab are plentiful. They may spend ten ormore years here chowing down at this crab feed before reaching sexualmaturity, at which time they make the remarkable reverse journey back toJapan to lay eggs and continue their ancient legacy.

Thankfully, in the U.S., loggerheads on both coasts now receive additionalprotections. It was nearly two years ago that SeaTurtles.org used legal action toget more protections for the Pacific loggerheads, by compelling the NationalMarine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to up-list North Pacific loggerheads from“threatened” to “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act. NowNMFS has begun to designate “critical habitat,” where stronger protectionsprevail, for loggerheads that nest in the U.S. The new protections also meanthat the California drift gillnet fishery must stop fishing off our coast whenwarm El Niño conditions bring the loggerhead sea turtles near our shore.

But in Mexico’s Baja California, the loggerheads haven’t been so lucky.Nearly a thousand drowned in the past year in gillnets set for halibut, thehighest sea turtle bycatch rate recorded for sea turtles anywhere in the world!This carnage threatens to wipe out this critically endangered species in ourlifetime—if we don’t make sure it is stopped!

And we will stop it—with the help of our members and other caring peoplelike you around the world. If you haven’t already, please sign our online peti-tion at SeaTurtles.org/Baja and send a letter to the President of Mexico. Andrest assured, besides organizing grassroots action to force changes, we are alsopreparing legal strategies to keep the pressure on, while we work to createprotected “swimways” to connect critical nesting and feeding grounds formarine turtles.

Together, we will give Mexico’s teenage loggerheads a fighting chance toreach adulthood and return home to the waters of Japan.

Viva La Tortuga,

TODD STEINER

Letter from the Director

the protection for at least anotheryear while the fisheries agency col-lects more data on the potentialimpacts to sea turtles and otherspecies.

“If the fisheries Council seriouslylooks at the science, they will keepit closed, but we fear politics, notscience may dictate their decision,”said Teri Shore, Program Director.“We need to focus on phasing outhigh bycatch gillnet gear now, notkeeping the door open to moregillnetting later.”

SeaTurtles.org is committed toprotecting the Pacific Ocean’s seaturtles and all marine animals forgood. Though the expansion hasbeen halted for now, the fishery—one of the last drift gillnet fisheriesin the United States—can still dragits mile-long curtains of death justoff the California coast outside thePLCA, with deadly consequencesfor ocean wildlife. Gillnets “soak”in the ocean overnight, entanglingand killing marine animals and fishindiscriminately. As a result, morethan 80 percent of fish and sea lifecaught in California’s large meshdrift gillnet fleet is neither targetedswordfish nor thresher shark.

In the coming year, with the helpof our committed members andactivists, SeaTurtles.org will bedeveloping a clear path to phasingthis deadly fishery out. Stay inclose touch with us to learn thelatest developments in this impor-tant campaign. Join our sea turtleAction Alert Email list atSeaTurtles.org. Learn ways to takeaction now to help sea turtles.

Leatherbackcontinued from cover

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RESPONDING TO A LAWSUIT bySeaTurtles.org and its allies, thefederal government has finally

—after a delay of five years—proposedto create more than 739 miles of criti-cal habitat for threatened loggerheadsea turtles on their nesting beachesalong the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

“At last, these precious and well-lovedsea turtles will find a safe haven whennesting and swimming along our coasts,”said Todd Steiner, executive director ofSeaTurtles.org. “Thousands of volun-teers who spend their summer nightswalking the beaches looking for nestingturtles will breathe a bit easier knowingthat these gentle giants will face less

danger when they return to the sea.”

These sea turtles face serious threats totheir long-term survival due to drown-ing in fishing nets (see the Letter fromthe Director on page 2), loss of nestingbeaches due to coastal developmentand sea-level rise. The area proposed forprotection spans from North Carolinato Mississippi and encompasses 84 per-cent of all known nesting areas.

The final critical habitat protections areexpected to take effect in 2014. Specieswith critical habitat protected underthe Endangered Species Act are twiceas likely to show signs of measurablerecovery compared to those without.

ADAY BEFORE THE OPENING ofthe International Sea TurtleSymposium in Baltimore, I

spent a day on Capitol Hill with othersea turtle advocates seeking new seaturtle champions. The goal was tosecure a Congressional inquiry intowhy no actions have been taken to endthree straight years of high sea turtlestrandings in the Gulf of Mexico andAtlantic coast.

We updated more than a dozen leg-islative staff on the dire threats to thesurvival and recovery of sea turtles dueto accidental capture in shrimp trawls,longlines and drift gillnets.

Dr. James R. Spotila, a well-known seaturtle scientist and expert on the Pacific

leatherback, described the life cyclesand threats to vulnerable sea turtle pop-ulations. I spoke about the federal gov-ernment’s failure to close a loophole infishery conservation law to require allshrimp boats to use Turtle ExcluderDevices (TEDs). The National MarineFisheries Service is allowing as many as20,000 sea turtles to be captured byskimmer trawls that operate primarilyin the shallow waters and bays ofLouisiana in violation of the U.S.Endangered Species Act.

Now SeaTurtles.org is working withSenate and House offices to finalize aninquiry seeking immediate action fromNational Marine Fisheries Service toprotect sea turtles from shrimp nets andstop the high strandings of sea turtles.

Coastline Protections for Atlantic and Gulf Loggerheads

SeaTurtles.org

THE RECOVERY of the beautifulgreen sea turtles that live in theHawaiian Islands is a wonderful

success story with a little-known darkside. Hawaiian fishers have petitioned toremove protections from the localgreen sea turtles, known for centuries asHonu by natives, and legalize turtlehunting. Thanks to SeaTurtles.org, over130,000 people who care about sea tur-tles have registered their opposition tothis destructive proposal.

Now federal managers must decidewhether or not to keep the Honu pro-tected under the Endangered Species Act.Hunting nearly drove them to extinc-tion in the 1970s. Sea levels are rising attheir remote nesting islands, hotels areexpanding on their beaches, and fish-eries kill them on hooks and in nets.

We will fight for protections for theHonu and all sea turtles that rely on theHawaiian Islands. Take action by goingto SeaTurtles.org/Honu.

Turtle Advocates Speak Out on Capitol Hill

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130,000+Supporters Forthe Honu!

BY PROGRAM DIRECTOR TERI SHORE

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EXTENDING ON ITS HISTORY ofsuccess in the Gulf of Mexico,SeaTurtles.org will expand its

operational footprint in Texas by hiringan Associate Campaign Director tosupport the ongoing efforts of GulfDirector Carole Allen in leading com-munity organization and advocacyprograms, and managing interns andvolunteers.

In order to provide a beachhead for itsactivist and advocacy “on the ground,”SeaTurtles.org will also open an officeand visitor’s center in a high foot-trafficcorridor on Galveston Island. Theoffice will serve as a hub for volunteeractivities such as nesting patrols andoutreach to both the area’s residentsand its large (and growing) tourismsector. We plan to have the office doorsopen by June 1.

The upper Texas coast—and GalvestonIsland in particular—is an increasinglyimportant area for Kemp’s ridley con-servation efforts.

This species of turtle has a large nestingpresence at the Padre Island NationalSeashore and on South Padre Island(near the Mexican border), but estab-lishing a sustainable satellite populationwill be an important step in long-termrecovery.

At present, a growing population offemales nest each year on the UpperTexas Coast, and we hope to increasethat number with both on-the-groundconservation efforts and greater policyprotections. In the short term, one ofthe key goals is to have eggs laid onupper Texas beaches hatch out “in situ,”thereby increasing both the hatch rate

and, over time, the size of the nestingpopulation. Longer term, multiple self-sustaining populations will help insu-late the species from high-impactweather, ecological or pollution eventssuch as hurricanes or oil spills.

TEXAS HAS A STATE BIRD, flower,song, small and large mammals,fish, shell, tree, insect, plant, fruit,

stone, shrub and many other symbols,but no official state sea turtle.

The Fourth Grade Green Team atOppe Elementary in Galveston andtheir teacher, Katie Blazer, hope tosolve this problem. Working with theSeaTurtles.org Gulf Office, the studentsresearched the incredible history of theKemp’s ridley.

Students wrote a resolution asking thatthe Kemp’s ridley sea turtle be pro-claimed the official sea turtle of thestate of Texas. They asked Texas Repre -sentative Craig Eiland of Galveston tohelp them and he introduced theirHCR 31 to the Texas legislature in

January. The resolution was sent to theCulture, Recreation and TourismCommittee in Austin where it awaitsmoving to the full House for a vote.

The last paragraph of the resolutionsums up the document:

“Once the most imperiled of all sea tur-tles, the Kemp’s ridley is today becoming amore common resident of the Gulf Coastwaters; its comeback is a testament to itsresilience and to the admirable work ofthose Texans who have aided its recovery,and this noble animal is indeed a fittingsymbol of the Lone Star State.”

Texas residents and students in Texasschools are asked to contact their ownrepresentatives to support HCR 31.You can find out more atSeaTurtles.org/Texas.

The Kemp’s Ridley On the Way toBeing the State Sea Turtle of Texas

Gulf of Mexico Update: Activism Campaign and Plans to Open New Office

SeaTurtles.org

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The Kemp’s ridley has made an incrediblecomeback in Gulf Coast waters.

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NOAA

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IN MARCH, seven species of sharksand rays, including hammerheadsharks, received much-needed pro-

tection under the Convention of Inter -national Trade in Endangered Species(CITES), making it more difficult totrade these species’ valued body parts.

Hammer heads had previously beenexcluded from the proposal forincreased protections, but this councilof CITES approved their inclusion by atwo-thirds majority. Shark Stewards, asister conservation initiative of

SeaTurtles.org, provided data to theappeal for hammerheads and a flood ofsignatures in support.

“This is a great victory for sharks.Hammer heads are getting hammeredbecause their fins are among the mostcoveted for shark fin soup and they areeasy to catch due to their large aggre-gations at pinnacles and islands,” saidDavid McGuire, Director of SharkStewards. “This will provide some reliefwhile we continue to fight the sharkfin trade.”

SEATURTLES.ORG and Shark Stewards thank Texas Representatives EddieLucio III and Sen. Larry Taylor for introducing a bill in Texas to prohibit thesale, trade, purchase and transportation of shark fins in the state. If passed,

Texas would become the sixth state to crack down on the cruel and unnecessaryshark fin trade.

Shark Stewards has supported Texas activists in forwarding this important legisla-tion, and recently provided testimony to the state representatives in Austin, Texas.Director David McGuire commented, “Reducing consumption and the trade ofshark fins in Texas will help protect sharks, Texas marine ecosystems and the healthof fisheries for the future.” Go to SharkStewards.org to take action.

Making the Oceans Safer for Sharks

SeaTurtles.org

Texas Shark Fin Campaign AdvancesP

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Hammerhead sharks are finally now protected from being caught

and killed for their fins under theConvention of International Trade

in Endangered Species Act.

Victory at CITES Convention

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Carole AllenHonored forCommitment tothe Texas Coast

SEATURTLES.ORG is proud toannounce that Carole Allen,our Gulf Office Director

and board member, has been hon-ored with a Sierra Club HermannRudenberg award for service tothe Texas Coast. Since the 1980s,Carole has successfully turned herpassion for sea turtles into effectivecampaigns to save the criticallyendangered Kemp’s ridley sea tur-tles of the Gulf of Mexico.

“I first visited theGalveston, Texas ‘turtlehouse’ when they wereraising hatchlings toregenerate the speciesfrom near-extinction.The funding was injeopardy so I foundeda group called Help

Endangered Animals—Ridley Turtles(HEART) that let schoolchildrenhelp pay for turtle food,” saysCarole. “Later, the fight to savethese turtles from being killed inshrimp nets took over my life.”

Today, thanks in part to Carole’stireless efforts, Turtle ExcluderDevices (TEDs) are required byfederal law on most shrimp nets,saving thousands of sea turtles eachyear. In addition to the Sierra ClubAward, her work has been honoredby a chapter in the book Eco-Barons by Edward Humes, OprahMagazine, and numerous otherpublications and awards. Congratu-lations, Carole!

6 SeaTurtles.org

Adopt a Nest of Sea Turtle Hatchlings

AWONDERFUL PRESENT for Father’s Day or Graduation Day! Give a gift thathelps protect sea turtles and their nests by supporting our nest monitoringand patrol programs.

Adopt-a-Nest Package Includes:. Personalized adoption certificate . Sea turtle window decal . Sea turtle fact sheets. Viva La Tortuga! newsletter. Optional Pewter Pendant or Charm Bracelet

Regular Nest—$45 ($55 outside U.S.) includes all ofthe above.

Special Nest with Pewter Pendant—$60 ($70 outside U.S.) Includes the Adopt-A-Nest package plus a pewter stylizedsea turtle pendant.

Special Nest with Hatchling Charm Bracelet—$75 ($85 outside U.S.) Includes the Adopt-A-Nest packageplus a pewter charm bracelet.

When you order online, you can download a gift certificateimmediately to give your loved one so they know their

Adopt-a-Nest package is on the way. Order online at SeaTurtles.org/Adopt, callus at 1-800-859-7283, or send a check with honoree’s name and address toSTRP, PO Box 370, Forest Knolls, CA 94933.

Give Your Dad or Grad a Sea Turtle Gift!

Shop at the Sea Turtle Store for T-shirts, Hats,Jewelry and Books—all celebrating sea turtles.Glass Sea Turtle Pendant $48Organic Cotton T-Shirt $27 (Men’s size S,M,L,XL)Antique Bronze Detailed Pendant $17

LeatherbackResearch Eco-Tour TacklesPlasticPollution

PLASTIC POLLUTION in theocean is the most abundantand deadly form of marine

debris. Scientists have identifiedplastic pollution as a global prob-lem alongside other key issues ofour time including climate change,ocean acidification and loss ofbiodiversity.

We are excited to share a newpartnership to bring volunteers tosea turtle nesting beaches in CostaRica and engage them in effortsto study and reduce plastic debristhat is harmful, and sometimesdeadly, to sea turtles when theymistake it for food.

From June 2-8, 2013 volunteerswill join Dr. Chris Pincetich ofSeaTurtles.org on an eco-tourthrough Costa Rican rainforests toremote Caribbean leatherbacknesting beaches. Nights are spentpatrolling for nesting leatherbackswith conservation scientists anddays can be spent surveying andremoving the plastics that litter thebeach.

For more information, contactChris at Chris@SeaTurtles.org.

NEIL OSBORNE

November Cocos Trip

Be One of Our Sea Turtle STARs (Sea Turtle Activist Responders)!

Leave a Legacy for the Sea Turtles

LEARN MORE about our sea turtle and shark research at beautiful CocosIsland, Costa Rica. Visit SeaTurtles.Org/Cocos to find out about ourresearch, follow tagged sea turtles online and get the details on how you

can participate as a volunteer dive researcher on our next Sea Turtle TaggingExpedition, November 11-21.

HELP US TAKE SWIFT, sustained and innovative action by joining ourSTARs program and making a monthly donation to help sea turtles.You can make a difference for as little as $5 a month and we’ll thank

you with a beautiful pewter turtle keychain.

Donate $20 a month or more, and we will thank you with the gorgeous coffeetable book, “Sea Turtles” by James Spotila, with amazing photographs and nat-ural history of sea turtles.

You can cancel or change the amount of your donation anytime. Use theenclosed envelope to join, or go online to SeaTurtles.org/STARs.

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SeaTurtles.org

THE HEALTH OF OUR OCEANS iscrucial to the well being of sea turtles,other marine species and ourselves.

The cumulative addition of all our smallactions every day can have a big impact onthe ocean. That’s why we’ve begun the “50Ways to Help Save the Ocean” weekly out-reach campaign. Our email subscribersreceive a new tip each week for helpingwith ocean conservation and restoration.

The ocean is connected across the globe—sea turtles voyage through all but the cold-est reaches. Pollution, overfishing, globalwarming, vessel traffic, and fishing withgear destructive to the habitat are all harm-ing the ocean and its inhabitants.

Together, we can bring about change toslow and stop these harmful practices forthe benefit of sea turtles, the ocean, andourselves. It all starts with simple actionslike those in our “50 Ways to Help Save theOcean” messages.

Go to SeaTurtles.org/50ways to check outour weekly tips and share them with yourfriends, and sign up for our email newslet-ter at SeaTurtles.org.

Share the “50 Ways to Help Save the Ocean”

THROUGH A BEQUEST to theSea Turtle Restora tion Projectin your will and other estate

plans, you can leave a legacy for seaturtles.

Visit SeaTurtles.org/Bequests or call1-800-859-SAVE for informationon including a bequest to STRP inyour will, adding a simple codicil toyour existing will, and other ways to

give through your estate. Any infor-mation discussed is confidential.

A professional financial advisor maybe able to help you identify addi-tional ways to provide you with taxbenefits, as well as help protect theearth’s oceans and wildlife. Thankyou for considering this importantway to give.

Turtle Island Restoration NetworkSea Turtle Restoration ProjectP.O. Box 370Forest Knolls, CA 94933

in this issue:Leatherback Sea Turtles Win Reprieve from Gillnets

Coastline Protected for Atlantic and Gulf Loggerheads

Over 130,000 Supporters for Hawaii’s Honu!

Help Stop Baja Mexico Loggerheads from Dying in Gillnets

Leatherback Research Eco-tour Tackles Plastic Pollution

Viva la Tortuga!

ABOUT THE SEA TURTLE RESTORATION PROJECT

THE SEA TURTLE RESTORATION PROJECT is a project of Turtle Island RestorationNetwork, a nonprofit organization. STRP works to protect sea turtle popula-tions in ways that meet the ecological needs of sea turtles and the needs of the

local communities who share the beaches and waters with these endangered species.

We use a multi-faceted approach which includes grassroots action, multi-mediacampaigns, hands-on conservation projects, environmental action and litigation. Werely on tax-deductible donations from individuals, private foundations, and progressivecompanies, as well as the pro bono service of numerous supporters. We are grateful forour contributors’ help and support, and welcome your input and assistance.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Donna Howe, Chair; Carole Allen, Randall Arauz, Anne Kastner, Rick Misuraca,Wallace J. Nichols, Bob Rosenberg, Debbie Sivas, Todd Steiner.

Issue No. 1, 2013 Newsletter of the Sea Turtle Restoration ProjectA project of Turtle Island Restoration Network

Layout and design: Daniela Sklan | Hummingbird Design Studio

Contact Us:

NORTH AMERICAN OFFICE

P.O. Box 370, Forest Knolls, CA 94933phone 415-663-8590 or 800-859-7283fax 415-663-9534e-mail info@SeaTurtles.orgwebsite www.SeaTurtles.org

CENTRAL AMERICAN OFFICE

Randall Arauz (Costa Rica)phone 011-506-2241-5227fax 011-506-2236-6017e-mail rarauz@pretoma.org

GULF OF MEXICO OFFICE

Carole Allen (Houston)phone/fax 281-444-6204e-mail carole@SeaTurtles.org

ANGELA HADDEN© DOUG PERRINE / SEAPICS.COM