The leatherback sea turtle—the world’s largest turtle and the only member of the genus Dermochelys—received good news today. In an update of the IUCN Red List, the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) has been moved from Critically Endangered to Vulnerable. However, conservationists warn that the species still remains hugely endangered—and in rapid decline—in many parts of its range.
The new assessment found that the population of leatherback turtles in the northwest Atlantic Ocean (along the US and the Caribbean) is on the road to recover due to conservation actions. While scientists aren’t sure how the southeast Atlantic population (mostly in Gabon) is faring, it remains the world’s largest population.
However, the situation in the Pacific is far more bleak. The east Pacific population has dropped by 97 percent in three leatherback generations, while the west Pacific population has fell by 80 percent during the same period.
“The persistence of significant threats in all regions warrants concern for the future viability of even the largest subpopulations. Current efforts to protect Leatherbacks, their offspring, and their habitats must be maintained—or even augmented, where possible—to reverse declines in Pacific and Indian Ocean subpopulations and to sustain population growth in the Northwest Atlantic,” the assessors write.
Leatherback sea turtles face a variety of major threats, including fisheries’ bycatch, human consumption of their eggs and meat, coastal development, light pollution, plastic pollution, and climate change.
Leatherback sea turtle. Photo by: Guy Marcovaldi.
(11/14/2013) Hundreds of kilometers of commercial fishing lines slither along coastal waters in Costa Rica, hooking thousands of mahi-mahi and many other marketable fish. But when scientists scrutinized fishermen’s catch, they were shocked by the staggering number of sea turtles accidentally snagged on the lines.
(11/11/2013) Bycatch, a side-effect of commercial fishing in which non-target species are accidentally caught, is linked to severe population declines in several species. Sea turtles are particularly impacted by small-scale coastal gillnetting practices, in which large nets are deployed and indiscriminately snag anything of a certain size that attempts to swim through them. However, that may soon change.
(10/15/2013) On an isolated beach in Bird’s Head Peninsula, Indonesia, a female leatherback turtle shuffles out of the ocean and onto the shore, ready to lay her eggs. Under the cover of night she excavates a hole in the sand, depositing anywhere from 80 to 100 eggs inside. Using her flippers she flicks sand over the eggs, hiding them from potential predators. Then, shuffling away, she returns to the turquoise waters ready to make an 8,500-mile journey across the Pacific Ocean to the California coast.
(08/29/2013) Fishing communities on Agatti Island in Lakshwadeep, India, blame their reduced fish catch on green turtles; according to them, green turtles chomp their way through the seagrass beds lining the shallow reef waters that are essential for fish to breed. This leads some in the community to clandestinely kill sea turtles and destroy their nests.
(08/27/2013) An assortment of marine animals and birds reside along the black volcanic sand beaches of Guatemala’s Pacific coast, but lately both residents and visitors on the southeast beaches of the country have observed a tragic event – the stranding of dead sea turtles.
Eighty dead sea turtles have been recorded since the first week of July.
(08/03/2013) Eight suspects were arrested during early-morning raids Wednesday in the murder of Costa Rican sea turtle conservationist Jairo Mora.
Kipepeo wa baharini anayeitwa leatherback - ambaye ni kipepeo mkubwa zaidi ulimwenguni na ndiye mshiriki pekee wa jamii ya Dermochelys - alipokea habari njema leo. Katika orodha ya IUCN ya Kihispania, kamba aina ya Leatherback (Dermochelys coriaceus) ni aina ya kamba anayeharibiwa sana. Hata hivyo, watetezi wa mazingira huonya kwamba spishi hiyo bado iko hatarini sana - na inashuka haraka - katika sehemu nyingi za eneo lake. Uchunguzi huo unaonyesha kuwa idadi ya kasa wa ngozi katika Bahari ya Atlantiki ya kaskazini magharibi (pamoja na Marekani na Karibea) iko kwenye njia ya kupona kutokana na hatua za uhifadhi. Ingawa wanasayansi hawajui jinsi idadi ya watu wa kusini-mashariki mwa Atlantiki (hasa katika Gabon) inavyoendelea, bado ni idadi kubwa zaidi ulimwenguni. Hata hivyo, hali katika Pasifiki ni mbaya zaidi. Idadi ya samaki wa baharini ya Pasifiki imepungua kwa asilimia 97 katika vizazi vitatu vya leatherback, wakati idadi ya samaki wa baharini ya magharibi imepungua kwa asilimia 80 katika kipindi hichohicho. <unk>Utawala wa vitisho vikubwa katika mikoa yote unahakikisha wasiwasi juu ya uwezo wa maisha ya baadaye hata ya idadi kubwa zaidi ya watu. Jitihada za sasa za kulinda Leatherbacks, watoto wao, na makazi yao lazima zihifadhiwe - au hata kuongezwa, inapowezekana - kugeuza kupungua kwa idadi ya watu katika Bahari ya Pasifiki na Hindi na kudumisha ukuaji wa idadi ya watu katika Atlantiki ya Kaskazini Magharibi, "waandishi wa tathmini. Kwa mfano, kasa wa baharini wa Leatherback wanakabiliwa na vitisho kadhaa, ikiwa ni pamoja na uvuvi wa samaki, ulaji wa mayai na nyama, maendeleo ya pwani, uchafuzi wa nuru, uchafuzi wa plastiki, na mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa. Kipepeo wa baharini mwenye ngozi. Picha: Guy Marcovaldi. Meli za uvuvi za kibiashara zenye urefu wa kilomita mia moja zinatembea kwenye maji ya pwani ya Kosta Rika, zikikamata maelfu ya samaki aina ya mahi-mahi na samaki wengine wengi wanaouzwa. Lakini wanasayansi walipochunguza samaki waliovua, walishtuka kuona idadi kubwa ya kasa wa baharini waliovunjika kwa aksidenti kwenye kamba za uvuvi. Uvuvi wa bycatch, athari ya kando ya uvuvi wa kibiashara ambapo spishi zisizo za lengo zinakamatwa kwa bahati mbaya, inahusiana na kupungua kwa idadi kubwa ya spishi kadhaa. Kwa mfano, nyangumi wa baharini huathiriwa sana na mazoea madogo ya kutumia wavu wa pwani, ambapo wavu mkubwa hutumiwa na kukamata bila ubaguzi kitu chochote cha ukubwa fulani kinachojaribu kuogelea ndani yao. Hata hivyo, huenda hali hiyo ikabadilika hivi karibuni. Katika pwani ya Bird's Head Peninsula, Indonesia, kamba-mwitu wa kike wa aina ya leatherback anatoka baharini na kuingia ufuoni, akiwa tayari kuweka mayai yake. Wakati wa usiku, mnyama huyo huchimba shimo kwenye mchanga na kuweka mayai 80 hadi 100. Kwa kutumia mabawa yake yeye hutupa mchanga juu ya mayai, akiwaficha kutoka kwa wawindaji wa uwezekano. Kisha, akirudi kwenye maji ya rangi ya turquoise, yuko tayari kusafiri umbali wa kilometa 8,500 kuvuka Bahari ya Pasifiki hadi pwani ya California. Wanasayansi wa uvuvi wa Agatti Island, Lakshadweep, India, wanadai kuwa nyangumi wa kijani hufaidika na uvuvi wao kwa sababu ya kuvuja kwa maji ya chini ya matumbawe. Hilo huongoza baadhi ya watu katika jumuiya hiyo kuua kasa wa baharini kisiri na kuharibu viota vyao. "Hii ni kwa sababu ya idadi kubwa ya wanyama wa baharini na ndege wanaoishi kwenye fukwe za mchanga za volkano za Guatemala, lakini hivi karibuni wakazi na wageni katika pwani za kusini mashariki mwa nchi hiyo wameona tukio la kusikitisha: ""kuanguka kwa kasa wa bahari waliokufa.""" Kamba 80 za baharini zimeuawa tangu juma la kwanza la Julai. Wanasayansi wanane wamekamatwa katika mashambulizi ya asubuhi ya Jumatano kwa kuua Jair Mora, mlinzi wa kiota cha bahari nchini Costa Rica.