June 23, 2005

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced it is awarding a total of $89,610 in grants to assist in the conservation of international marine turtles. Once abundant throughout the world, today, marine turtle populations in the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are now at a fraction of their levels prior to human-over exploitation. almost all marine turtle populations have suffered significant declines due to habitat degradation and commercial exploitation. unsustainable trade putting their future survival in the wild at risk. This massive decline has resulted in almost all species of marine turtles becoming endanger of extinction.

"Sea turtles are an ancient species, valuable for economic, cultural and aesthetic many reasons." said Acting Service Director Matt Hogan. "Thanks to Congress, the Service can tap into funds set aside for marine turtle conservation to lend a hand in the important global conservation work now underway to restore these species to health."

The grants support a wide variety of marine turtle conservation and research efforts, including: sponsoring population assessments of loggerhead and green turtles in Oman; providing incentives for local fishers to donate live captured turtles for tag and release rather than consumption in Nigeria; developing a sustainable and effective marine turtle program for the world's largest nesting leatherback population in Gabon and Congo, Africa; and, training local people to protect sea turtle nests at Playa Ventura in Mexico.

Six of the seven marine turtle species are listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act: of the seven marine turtle species are considered imperiled by the World Conservation Union: the green turtle, the leatherback, the loggerhead, the hawksbill, the Kemp's ridley, and the olive ridley. Only the flatback turtle which occurs in the near shore and inshore waters of Australia, is not currently considered imperiled. All marine turtles require tropical, subtropical or temperate oceanic beaches for nesting.

Because marine turtles take 10 to 40 years to reach sexual maturity and, have complex life cycles; also, they require undisturbed oceanic beaches for nesting, and depend on both marine and beach habitats, they are extremely vulnerable to human exploitation and habitat degradation. All marine turtles require tropical, subtropical or temperate oceanic beaches for nesting. Major threats to these animals species include: both unlawful poaching and lawful over-exploitation harvesting of eggs and meat;, drowning as by-catch in fishing and shrimping operations;, beach front and coastal water development; and pollution, and degradation of oceanic grass beds and coral reefs.

The international marine turtle grants were made possible by the U.S. Congress's passage of the Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2004. Under this law, Congress established a fund within the Multinational Species Conservation Fund to assist to assist in other countries' marine turtle the conservation efforts; of marine turtles and their nesting habitats in foreign countries. In FY04, Congress appropriated the fund was appropriated for $100,000, including administrative costs. In addition to these appropriated U.S. funds, used for assistance to on-the-ground sea turtle conservation efforts, the Service has was able to use this money to leverage an additional $182,600 in conservation support of sea turtle conservations from non-government organizations, for-profit private businesses, companies, and other government entities agencies involved in marine turtle conservation.