It’s been more than two months since ¡Viva la Tortuga! debuted, but the fate of loggerhead sea turtles is still very much a breaking issue. Our film focused on threats to the species on the Pacific coast of Mexico but there are many spots along American beaches where these turtles face threats. After years of struggle, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed protections for 36 areas within six states that loggerheads call home.
The proposal is set to protect turtles in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. Though the initiative is a step in the right direction, it may not be enough, some environmental groups have warned, including the Center for Biological Diversity:
‘…the plan limits protections to waters offshore of southeastern nesting beaches, even though loggerheads regularly go as far north as Massachusetts. It also fails to protect areas where the turtles are known to feed on both east and west coasts and in the Gulf of Mexico.’
The National Marine Fisheries Service’s proposal is a result of a lawsuit that was filed last year by the Center and several other conservation groups, who were dissatisfied with the lack of change. Petitions of this nature have been circulating since 2007 in vain.
You can learn more about loggerhead sea turtles, and sign the petitions at the Center for Biological Diversity’s website.
