Global News - October 2007
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Small fishing operations threaten turtle survival
Fri 19 October 2007 17:00 UK — South America,Marine Wildlife
A long-term scientific study has concluded that loggerhead sea turtles in the north Pacific are more threatened by small-scale fishing operations than they are by larger trawlers.
The results of the ten-year research project are published in the online journal Public Library of Science ONE.
Researchers Wallace J Nichols and Hoyt Peckham found that many small fishing operations in the Baja California area overlap with the places where the loggerhead sea turtles spend much of their adult life.
Mr Nichols explained: "The combination of the indiscriminate gillnets and long-line fishing gear and the density of loggerhead turtles results in a deadly situation for the turtles.
"Local efforts to educate fishermen and remove dangerous fishing gear from the water are essential to protecting this endangered species that relies on the food-rich waters in Baja California, Mexico for survival."
Loggerhead sea turtles are currently classed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
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