On the Brink of Extinction

Loggerhead nesting along the U.S. Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico is declining. One of the most disturbing trends is that the number of loggerheads nesting in Florida has declined 50 percent over the past decade.

Loggerhead sea turtles are harmed most by commercial fishing gear, including longlines, gillnets, trawls, and scallop dredges. Additional threats to survival are beachfront development, pollution, motor vehicles crushing nests, collisions with boats, and hunting of the turtles and their eggs.