Recovery Plan for the Northwest Atlantic Population of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) Second Revision U.S. Department of Commerce U.S. Department of the Interior National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE PREFACE The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 USC 1531 et seq.) (ESA), establishes policies and procedures for identifying, listing, and protecting species of wildlife that are endangered or threatened with extinction. The purposes of the ESA are “to provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved, [and] to provide a program for the conservation of such endangered species and threatened species...” The ESA defines an “endangered species” as “any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” A “threatened species” is defined as “any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” The Secretaries of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce are responsible for administering the ESA’s provisions as they apply to the loggerhead turtle. Day- to-day management authority for endangered and threatened species under the Departments’ jurisdictions has been delegated to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), respectively. FWS and NMFS (collectively referred to as the Services) share Federal jurisdiction for sea turtles, with FWS having lead responsibility on nesting beaches and NMFS having lead responsibility in the marine environment. To help identify and guide species recovery needs, section 4(f) of the ESA directs the Secretaries to develop and implement recovery plans for listed species. Such plans are to include: (1) a description of site-specific management actions necessary to conserve the species or populations; (2) objective, measurable criteria which, when met, will allow the species or populations to be removed from the endangered and threatened species list; and (3) estimates of the time and funding required to achieve the plan’s goals. Section 4 of the ESA and regulations (50 CFR Part 424) promulgated to implement its listing provisions also set forth the procedures for reclassifying and delisting species on the Federal lists. A species can be delisted if the Secretary of the Interior and/or the Secretary of Commerce determines that the species no longer meets the endangered or threatened status based upon the following five factors listed in section 4(a)(1) of the ESA: (1) the present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range; (2) overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes; (3) disease or predation; (4) the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; and (5) other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence. Further, a species may be delisted, according to 50 CFR Part 424.11(d), if the best scientific and commercial data available substantiate that the species or population is neither endangered nor threatened for one of the following reasons: (1) extinction, (2) recovery, or (3) original data for classification of the species were in error. NMFS approved the initial recovery plan for the loggerhead on September 19, 1984. This initial plan was a multi-species plan for all six species of sea turtles occurring in the U.S. On December 26, 1991, NMFS and FWS approved a separate recovery plan for the U.S. population ii of the loggerhead, focusing on the Atlantic. A separate plan for U.S. Pacific populations of the loggerhead was approved in 1998. In 2001, NMFS and FWS initiated the process to revise the 1991 plan for the loggerhead. An Atlantic Loggerhead Recovery Team, consisting of species experts, was established to draft this revision. Since approval of the first revised plan in 1991, significant research has been accomplished and important recovery activities have been undertaken. As a result, we have a greater knowledge of the species and its status. This second revision of the recovery plan for the Atlantic loggerhead addresses current threats and needs, highlights conservation accomplishments that have been undertaken since the species was listed, and specifically addresses the planning requirements of the ESA. iii DISCLAIMER Recovery plans delineate such reasonable actions as may be necessary, based upon the best scientific and commercial data available, for the conservation and survival of listed species. Plans are published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, sometimes prepared with the assistance of recovery teams, contractors, state agencies, and others. Recovery plans do not necessarily represent the views, official positions, or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in the plan formulation, other than the Services. They represent the official position of the Services only after they have been signed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director and/or National Marine Fisheries Service Assistant Administrator. Recovery plans are guidance and planning documents only; identification of an action to be implemented by any public or private party does not create a legal obligation beyond existing legal requirements. Nothing in this plan should be construed as a commitment or requirement that any Federal agency obligate or pay funds in any one fiscal year in excess of appropriations made by Congress for that fiscal year in contravention of the Anti-Deficiency Act, 31 U.S.C. 1341, or any other law or regulation. Approved recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new findings, changes in species status, and the completion of recovery actions. LITERATURE CITATION SHOULD READ AS FOLLOWS: National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2008. Recovery Plan for the Northwest Atlantic Population of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta), Second Revision. National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, MD. ADDITIONAL COPIES MAY BE OBTAINED FROM: National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Protected Resources 1315 East-West Highway, 13th Floor Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 This recovery plan can be downloaded from: National Marine Fisheries Service’s Office of Protected Resources website: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/recovery/plans.htm#turtles U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Jacksonville Field Office's website: http://www.fws.gov/northflorida Cover photos by Blair E. Witherington. iv RECOVERY TEAM The Services gratefully acknowledge the commitment and efforts of the members of the Recovery Team for the Northwest Atlantic population of the loggerhead sea turtle in the development of this revised recovery plan. Alan B. Bolten, Ph.D. John A. Musick, Ph.D. (Team Leader) The Virginia Institute of Marine Science Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research College of William and Mary University of Florida Barbara A. Schroeder Larry B. Crowder, Ph.D. National Marine Fisheries Service Duke University Marine Laboratory Blair E. Witherington, Ph.D. Mark G. Dodd Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Georgia Department of Natural Resources Kristy J. Long Sandra L. MacPherson (Assistant to the Team) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Marine Fisheries Service ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Recovery Team and the Services gratefully acknowledge the key input and assistance of the following individuals during the revision of the recovery plan: Selina Heppell (Oregon State University) and Melissa Snover (National Marine Fisheries Service). Additional thanks go to the following individuals for their technical assistance during the preparation of the recovery plan: Gloria Bell (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Kelly Bibb (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Karen Bjorndal (Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, University of Florida), Benjamin Bolker (Department of Zoology, University of Florida), Michael Bresette (Quantum Resources, Inc.), Therese Conant (National Marine Fisheries Service), Debby Crouse (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Peter Eliazar (Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, University of Florida), Allen Foley (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission), Matthew Godfrey (North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission), DuBose Griffin (South Carolina Department of Natural Resources), Paul Kubilis (IFAS Statistics Department, University of Florida), Ann Marie Lauritsen (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Kate Mansfield (The Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary), Anne Meylan (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission), Sally Murphy (South Carolina Department of Natural Resources), Susan Pultz (National Marine Fisheries Service), Jeffrey Seminoff (National Marine Fisheries Service), James Spotila (Drexel University), Wendy Teas (National Marine Fisheries Service), and Chuck Underwood (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) was listed as threatened throughout its range on July 28, 1978, under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), and has received Federal protection since that time. Therefore, the entire species is the listed entity. However, in this recovery plan, we have identified recovery units for the Northwest Atlantic loggerhead population. Establishing recovery units is a useful tool for species occurring across wide ranges