What is the Bigest Threat to leatherbacks?
Someone asked me the other day: What is the biggest threat to leatherbacks?
The answer is in two parts: First- fishing, Second- destruction of nesting beaches.
Fishing- longlines in the Pacific catch 63% of the leatherbacks in the Pacific each year and kill 10%. Only 30% of the turtles that we tag on the beach at Las Baulas Park ever return to nest again.
Destruction of nesting beaches- Foreign developers want to develop hotels and houses on the beach inside Las Baulas Park. That will destroy the nesting beach. The turtles won't nest there anymore. Its is like airplanes coming back to an aircraft carrier. If the carrier sinks it doesn't matter how many airplanes there are. The same is true for the turtles. If the beach is ruined it doesn't matter how many leatherbacks there are.
You can help- write to the President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias and ask him to complete the land acquisition for the Park. That would be a great help to the effort to save the leatherbacks.
Dr. Turtle
The answer is in two parts: First- fishing, Second- destruction of nesting beaches.
Fishing- longlines in the Pacific catch 63% of the leatherbacks in the Pacific each year and kill 10%. Only 30% of the turtles that we tag on the beach at Las Baulas Park ever return to nest again.
Destruction of nesting beaches- Foreign developers want to develop hotels and houses on the beach inside Las Baulas Park. That will destroy the nesting beach. The turtles won't nest there anymore. Its is like airplanes coming back to an aircraft carrier. If the carrier sinks it doesn't matter how many airplanes there are. The same is true for the turtles. If the beach is ruined it doesn't matter how many leatherbacks there are.
You can help- write to the President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias and ask him to complete the land acquisition for the Park. That would be a great help to the effort to save the leatherbacks.
Dr. Turtle
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