About Sea Turtles

Sea turtles around the globe are at risk because of human activities such as commercial fisheries, coastal development, direct harvest, ocean pollution, and oil and gas development.

In the United States, commercial fishing has the largest impact on sea turtles. Each year, the U.S. government authorizes fisheries to kill nearly 10,000 sea turtles and to injure almost 350,000 turtles. Learn more >>

All sea turtles that swim in U.S. waters are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. In addition, the Magnuson -Stevens Act requires fisheries to minimize their bycatch of non-target fish, sea turtles and marine mammals.

We need to take significant steps now to ensure that sea turtles are still swimming in our oceans for future generations. Check out this sea turtle question submitted to the CNN/YouTube Presidential Debate.