{"id":35360,"date":"2025-06-18T20:30:23","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T00:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.endangered.org\/?p=35360"},"modified":"2025-08-22T14:17:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T18:17:13","slug":"sea-turtles-wont-survive-the-esa-amendments-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.endangered.org\/sea-turtles-wont-survive-the-esa-amendments-act\/","title":{"rendered":"Sea Turtles Won\u2019t Survive the ESA Amendments Act"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Sea Turtles Won\u2019t Survive the ESA Amendments Act<\/b><\/p>

Authored by Sarah Masters,\u00a0policy research intern for Endangered Species Coalition, and Jewel Tomasula, National Policy Director.<\/strong><\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

About Sea Turtles\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

Sea turtles are some of the most amazing creatures in our oceans<\/a><\/span>. As keystone species for the world\u2019s waters, these beautiful reptiles keep plankton species in check along with cleaning and maintaining coral reefs and grass beds. Six species of sea turtles live in the oceans surrounding the United States: green, loggerhead, Kemp\u2019s ridley, leatherback, hawksbill, and olive ridley turtles. Nearshore and offshore in-water habitats provide foraging grounds, migratory corridors, mating grounds, and shelter for sea turtles. Many of them make their nests on beaches in places like Florida –\u00a0 where 90% of sea turtles nest in the U.S. – and in locations including Hawaii, Texas, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Like people, sea turtles eat a variety of foods. Some species prefer foods that are see-through and transparent in water, like jellyfish and algae. Because these foods are easily mistaken for floating plastic pollution,<\/a><\/span> one cause of sea turtle endangerment is the accidental consumption of ocean-bourne plastics.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Boat strikes<\/a> are another major threat to sea turtles.<\/span> Sea turtles need to come up to the surface to breathe, and that\u2019s when fast-moving boats can hit them. Many sea turtles don\u2019t have time to get out of the way, especially in busy areas with lots of boat traffic. The blunt-force trauma from a boat strike is usually deadly for sea turtles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The top danger<\/a> to sea turtles comes from commercial fishing activity.<\/span> Large fishing industries use nets and hooks that accidentally trap sea turtles. These turtles can\u2019t escape and often drown because they can\u2019t get to the surface to breathe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Protecting Sea Turtles\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

Sea turtles are protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), one of the strongest conservation laws in the world!<\/span><\/a> The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is a U.S. law passed in 1973 to protect animals and plants that are at risk of extinction. Its main goals are: prevent extinction of endangered and threatened species, protect and restore habitats critical to those species, and promote recovery so species can eventually be removed from the endangered list. The law is administered by two federal agencies: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for land and freshwater species, and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for marine species. The ESA prohibits harming listed species and requires federal agencies to ensure their actions don’t jeopardize them or their habitats.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

There are two important parts of the ESA that help sea turtles today:<\/span><\/p>