Sea Turtle Cushion

Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea) are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic. Most species of sea turtle are endangered. Globally, the Kemp's ridley, hawksbill, and leatherback sea turtles are listed as "Critically Endangered", the loggerhead and green as "Endangered", the olive ridley as "Vulnerable" and the flatback as "Data Deficient", meaning that its conservation status is unclear due to lack of data.[18]. Additionally, all populations of sea turtles that occur in United States waters are listed as threatened or endangered by the United States government, with the leatherback, Kemp's ridley, green, hawksbill, and the Mexican nesting population of the olive ridley all listed as "Endangered", and the loggerhead and non-Mexican populations of olive ridley as "Threatened".[19] The US listing status of the loggerhead is under review as of 2012.[20] One of the most significant threats now comes from bycatch due to imprecise fishing methods. Long-lining has been identified as a major cause of accidental sea turtle death.[21][22] There is also black-market demand for tortoiseshell for both decoration and supposed health benefits.[23] Legal notice posted by nest at Boca Raton, Florida Sea turtles must surface to breathe. Caught in a fisherman's net, they are unable to surface and thus drown. In early 2007, almost a thousand sea turtles were killed inadvertently in the Bay of Bengal over the course of a few months after netting.[24] However, some relatively inexpensive changes to fishing techniques, such as slightly larger hooks and traps from which sea turtles can escape, can dramatically cut the mortality rate.[25][26] Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) have reduced sea turtle bycatch in shrimp nets by 97 percent. Another danger comes from marine debris, especially from abandoned fishing nets in which they can become entangled. Beach development is another area which threatens sea turtles. Since many sea turtles return to the same beach each time to nest, development can disrupt the cycle. There has been a movement to protect these areas, in some cases by special police. In some areas, such as the east coast of Florida, conservationists dig up sea turtle eggs and relocate them to fenced nurseries to protect them from beach traffic. Since hatchlings find their way to the ocean by crawling towards the brightest horizon, they can become disoriented on developed stretches of coastline. Lighting restrictions can prevent lights from shining on the beach and confusing hatchlings. Sea turtle-safe lighting uses red or amber LED light, invisible to sea turtles, in place of white light. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_turtle