Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Juan Carlos Cantu, Mexico Program Manager

An incredible animal with an incredible story, the Pacific loggerhead sea turtle will face many challenges throughout its life. From the day it is born, it enters the vast waters of the Pacific Ocean and travels thousands of lonely miles as it struggles to reach adulthood, return to the place it was born and continue the circle of life. Despite the perils of such a journey, the most severe threat these animals now face is humans.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle Hatchling (NPS)

The Northern Pacific loggerhead sea turtle nests on the coasts of Japan, where it can lay approximately 95 to 150 eggs. After 56 to 80 days, the nestlings hatch and enter the cold Japanese waters to start one of the most amazing journeys of any living species. Their goal is to cross the Pacific Ocean to arrive at the rich feeding grounds off the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur in Mexico. The origins of this migration are a mystery, but the reality is that these small loggerhead sea turtles must travel 7,500 miles of open sea to reach their destination. This is an immense body of water for the little turtles to swim, and the trip can take up to six years. By the time they arrive in Baja, those that survive are no longer small hatchlings, but fairly large juveniles. They spend the next 10 years in Mexican waters, where they feed mostly on crustaceans called pelagic red crabs in a relatively small area in front of the Bay of Ulloa.

Slow to grow and mature, even at 15 to 20 years of age, loggerheads are still considered subadults when they begin their journey back across the Pacific. They will roam the Northern Pacific until they reach their reproductive age, then swim back to the beaches in Japan where they were born and start a new cycle of nesting. The round trip takes decades to complete, and the adult sea turtles will never leave these waters to traverse the Pacific Ocean again.

Unfortunately, the number of nesting females in Japan has decreased by 90 percent in the past three generations, which qualifies this loggerhead population as critically endangered. The main culprit is “bycatch” — the unintentional capture of sea  turtles in fisheries.

Fishing nets (Credit: Garry Knight)

In the waters off Japan, loggerhead sea turtles fall prey to massive nets, while in the open ocean the threat comes from the international longline fleet, which consists of fishing lines dozens of miles long, each with thousands of hanging hooks. Drift net fisheries (huge, miles-long nets that capture everything in their path) and gillnet fishers in the Pacific also have high bycatch of loggerheads. The National Marine Fisheries Service has noted that just 37 to 92 North Pacific loggerheads killed each year through bycatch would increase the species’ risk of extinction. In Mexico, these sea turtles are even more vulnerable to bycatch because they gather in such small areas to feed. Coastal fisheries in Baja, which mainly target shark and halibut, are capturing a staggering 1,000 loggerheads every year.

For years, teams of NGOs and scientists tried to convince fishermen to use alternative fishing gear and modify their fishing practices. Defenders of Wildlife helped this effort by producing materials like posters and even comic books with information on how to help sea turtles. Eventually these efforts started to pay off — fishermen were changing their fishing practices voluntarily, and bycatch was being reduced. Unfortunately, a recent seasonal ban on shark fishing prompted fishermen to start using their old methods on other species to increase their total catch, and as a result, bycatch has skyrocketed.

Bycatch alone is not illegal because it is not intentional. The problem here in Mexico is that the loggerheads’ feeding areas have little protection, and there are no regulations that mandate the use of alternative fishing gear or practices to reduce bycatch or in any way limit the number of sea turtles that can legally be caught as bycatch. For years, we worked to develop shark fishery regulations that include provisions to decrease sea turtle bycatch in Mexican waters, and in 2007, these were finally published in the official register. These regulations included a ban on drift nets and all surface nets, as well as mandatory use of circle hooks in surface longlines, which have been shown to be very successful in decreasing sea turtle bycatch and mortality. These efforts have helped, but since many Baja coastal fisheries use bottom-set longlines and gillnets, which invariably drown sea turtles, it has not been enough.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Photo: NOAA)

At the same time, Defenders joined an effort by local and international NGOs and research scientists to request that the Environment Ministry create a refuge area to protect loggerheads in their feeding grounds. For the past five years, environmental authorities have dragged their feet on this issue, with never-ending stakeholder meetings that resulted in no protected area, and no regulation of the different types of coastal fisheries that are negatively impacting the loggerhead population. This year, bycatch increased by 600 percent, making it the highest bycatch rate of loggerheads in the world.

We have denounced this unnecessary mass mortality, publicly demanding that government institutions, which are obliged by law to protect endangered species, take action immediately to put a stop to this loggerhead massacre. The response from the authorities was swift, promising to increase vigilance of fishery activities as well as confirming that a draft refuge area decree is in the works, but we haven’t seen anything yet.

On December 1st, a completely new administration took over, and we are hopeful that this may be the break loggerhead turtles need to finally get some real protection in place. We’ll keep you posted on what happens, and we will not stop until the North Pacific loggerhead population in Mexican waters has the protection it needs to survive.

This common yellowthroat risks collision with cell towers during migration. © Michael R. Duncan

Migrating birds fly high, fast and far from the United States and Canada to Central and South America. But on a cloudy night, the sight of a red light on a communication tower can draw them in and hold them spellbound.

Nearly 7 million migrating birds die a year, victims of the 84,000 towers that dot the North American skyline, according to a University of Southern California study, funded in part by Defenders of Wildlife.

During stormy weather, clouds obscure the stars and force birds to fly at lower levels without their navigational tools. Blinking tower lights don’t confuse them. It’s the steady-burning red ones. The birds end up circling the tower and run into the dozens of cables, known as guy wires, that prop up a tower.

Researchers found the taller the tower, the greater the threat. Of the 84,000 communication towers in North America, only 1,000 or so rise above 900 feet, but they account for 70 percent of the tower-related bird deaths. “That amounts to a staggering 4.5 million birds each year,” says Chris Haney, Defenders’ chief scientist.

The study does offer some solutions: Change the steady-burning lights on tall towers, share towers and build freestanding towers to reduce the need for guy wires. “Methods to reduce this lethal mortality are the best long-term solution,” adds Haney.

Read more stories from the summer issue of Defenders.

Up to two million wildebeest and half a million zebra migrate across the Serengeti each year.

Considered the greatest natural wonder of the world, Africa’s Serengeti National Park is ground zero for massive wildlife migrations through Tanzania and Kenya. Each year, millions of wildebeest, zebra, elephants, rhinos, gazelles and predators like cheetahs and lions teem across the landscape as far as the eye can see. They move in search of rain, instinctively following paths established over thousands of years of evolution.

But last May, the Tanzanian government announced plans to build a 300-mile highway through the northern part of the park. Tanzania’s president, Jakaya Kikwete believes the $480 million project would improve transportation and boost economic activity by linking two of its key towns — Arusha, near Kilimanjaro and Musoma on Lake Victoria.

Unfortunately, the road could have devastating consequences for migrating wildlife, and the African economies who depend on the key tourist attraction. Kenya is opposed to the Serengeti road project, worried how it would affect the annual wildebeest migration.  More than 100,000 tourists visit the country’s Maasai Mara National Reserve during the migration months between July and October, and any interruption is likely to hurt Kenya’s economy.

“Wildebeest have a problem crossing roads which have heavy human and vehicle traffic, there is nothing elsewhere in the Serengeti with this high capacity for traffic,” said Mr Gideon Gathaara, a Kenyan Ministry of Wildlife official.

Not even big animals like rhinos are safe from traffic on the road.

Scientists say that a road like this could lead to the collapse of the Serengeti ecosystem, as well as  tourism in the region. Though the proposed road would be gravel, the presence of increased traffic would disrupt wildlife to the point of their avoidance of the area and would lead to roadkill, especially at night. And it’s not only zebra and wildebeest at risk – vehicles pose a huge threat to carnivores like wild dogs, even big animals like rhinos. A fence would be even more damaging to wildlife, entangling some animals and isolating others. Baby elephants that are unable to step over the same fences that grown elephants can are often abandoned, the rest of the herd pushed on in search of water. Eventually, the road would most likely be paved anyway.

Several conservation experts have publicly condemned the plan,  as has the United Nations World Heritage Committee. Internationally known wildlife biologist Richard Estes said the price of a road through the Serengeti is too high. “There’s not only the hazards of animals being killed by vehicles, which is serious, but more dangerous is the unplanned development that will follow — the building of towns and strip development — which is increasing human influence and access. The poaching is already serious and this will make it a whole lot easier.”

Construction of the highway is slated to begin in 2012. That’s not a lot of time to convince officials to change their plans. Can we save the Serengeti – or will this great migration be relegated to the pages of history?

Defenders is back with another eco-tip for your WildLifeStyle.  This month Cindy Hoffman invited us into her home where she showed us how simple it is to make some delicious homemade suet for your feathery friends to enjoy from a backyard suet feeder. 

Some birds will travel thousands of miles over the course of their winter migrations and use incredible amounts of energy doing it.  Having readily available food in people’s backyards goes a long way towards helping them conserve energy that would normally be spent foraging for food.  And conserving that energy is important because well-fed, healthier birds are more easily able to fight off infections, or cope with any contaminants that they might ingest.  The healthier we can keep them on their travels, the better off they will be when they get to their final destinations. 

We hope you enjoy the video and see you next month with another WildLifeStyle tip!